On a dark snowy night, Arthur Stick was returning home after a difficult shift. He worked as a truck driver in Texas, taking several shift s a week because he had a sick daughter, Kate, who needed urgent surgery, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to raise enough money for it.
Kate was diagnosed with a cyst(囊肿) shortly after birth. The doctors told Arthur and his wife Maria that she needed an operation as soon as possible; otherwise, it could pose a threat to the little girl’s life. The parents decided they would do whatever it took to save their daughter and began saving money right away.
It was too black outside with no visibility. Arthur was driving slowly, thinking of solutions to his problem when he noticed a shadow in the middle of the road. He hit the brakes and came to a complete stop, rubbing his eyes and looking more closely. A human figure—a woman lying unconscious in the middle of the road!
Arthur picked up the woman, carried her to his truck, quickly changed his route and drove straight to the hospital. About 10 minutes later, they finally arrived. “It’s an emergency! Please call the doctor!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.
The woman was admitted right away.
The next day, Arthur went to the hospital to see the woman.
The woman was Alice, who was a rich businesswoman. Alice expressed her gratitude to him and told him the whole story about how she ended up on the road. “Thank you so much, Arthur. You’re a really generous soul. I heard you drove me to the hospital last night and that you come here frequently with your daughter.”
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。
“Is everything alright?” Alice went on to ask.
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A week later, good news came that Arthur had received funding for Kate’s surgery.
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2 . It was 2 o’clock in the morning when Gatsby called at Nick’s.
“Let’s go to Coney Island, old sport, in my car. ”
“It’s too late, ” Nick replied.
“Well, what about a swim in my pool! I haven’t used it this summer yet. ”
“I must go to bed. ”
“All right. ”
He appeared to be waiting for something, looking at Nick.
“I’m going to phone Daisy tomorrow and invite her to tea. How about the day after tomorrow?”
Gatsby paused before answering. “I must cut the grass first. ”
He then said, “Well, I run a little business that might interest you… You might earn some money. ”But Nick refused his offer.
It was raining on the day they had fixed to have tea at Nick’s. At three o’clock, the front door opened and Gatsby hurried in. )
They went into the living room where Gatsby sat down. From time to time, he looked through the windows at the rain. Finally, he got up and said he was going home.
“Nobody’s coming to tea. It’s too late! I can’t wait all day. ”
“Don’t be silly. It’s only two minutes to four. ”
He sat down miserably and, at the same time, Daisy’s car drove up to Nick’s house.
They went in. What a big surprise! The living room was empty. Then there was a knock at the door. Gatsby was standing there in the rain. He disappeared quickly into the living room.
Gatsby was standing and staring at Daisy. She was sitting, frightened but composed, on the edge of a chair.
“We’ve met before, ” Gatsby said.
“Not for many years, ” Daisy added quickly.
“Five years next November, ” said Gatsby automatically.
Gatsby was quiet but his eyes moved continuously from Nick to Daisy. Nick left them together after a while.
When he went back in, Daisy and Gatsby were sitting on the couch, looking each other in the eyes. All their embarrassment had gone. Daisy’s face was covered with tears. But there was a change in Gatsby that really surprised Nick. He radiated a feeling of joy that filled the room. He hadn’t stopped looking at her once, as if nobody else was there.
1. Why did Gatsby call on Nick at 2 am?| A．To fix the date with Daisy. |
| B．To offer Nick a well-paid job. |
| C．To drive to Coney Island with Nick. |
| D．To invite Nick to swim in his pool. |
| A．Gatsby had Nick’s house emptied. |
| B．Gatsby was standing in the rain. |
| C．Gatsby left Nick’s house somehow. |
| D．Gatsby should make a “casual meet”. |
| A．Frightened-composed-happy. |
| B．Anxious-embarrassed-joyful. |
| C．Tired-surprised-disappointed. |
| D．Impatient-amazed-dedicated. |
| A．Gatsby’s visit. | B．Gatsby’s offer. |
| C．Nick’s grassland. | D．Nick’s tea. |
My parents grew up poor. But as a family, we were comfortable, though we didn’t have much what would be considered luxuries. One year, my father went on a trip to Italy and brought my mother an opal ring. It was her favorite stone, and she cherished that ring. It represented Dad’s love for her.
Dad died at the age of 53 in 1980 after a grueling battle with cancer. Mom was working at Burlington Coat Factory Department store. She usually wore the ring to work. Over the years, the ring became impossible for my Mom to wear because of her swollen knuckles (指关节). I had the ring fitted with a clasp so that Mom could wear it again. She took great pride in the frequent compliments as she got on that ring.
One day during her shift, the ring slipped off. She didn’t realize it until the following day. Mom was sad. The ring did not have a high monetary value, but it meant as much to her as life itself. I decided to go and look for it.
I encountered Chloe, one of my Mom’s co-workers at my Mom’s workplace. She led me to the store where Mom worked, and then left. It was packed with clothes, racks and tables. I started row by row crawling on the floor to see if I could find the ring underneath all the clothes. When I got to the last row and hadn’t found the ring, the thought occurred to me that it might have fallen into the pocket of a coat as my Mom was hanging or rearranging the clothes. I started feeling around in the pockets of some of the coats, but quickly abandoned. There were at least 20,000 pieces of clothing in that department. The attempt seemed useless.
注意：续写的词数应为150左右;
I stood by a small table in disappointment when Chloe came in.
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I called my Mom and now I was choking back tears.
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1. What is the speaker?
| A．An official. | B．A reporter. | C．A researcher. |
| A．500. | B．300. | C．200. |
| A．Shortening the pilots’ night flying time. |
| B．Punishing the pilots sleeping during work. |
| C．Lengthening the working hours of the pilots. |
| A．Unscientific. | B．Useless. | C．Wise. |
Hunger
When I was a young boy, my mother would place spoonfuls of vegetables onto my plate whether I wanted them or not and the rule in our family was that we always had to clean our plates. However, I rarely saw my mother eat the vegetables herself. She always served us first. She seemed never hungry.
She worked for a rich lady in town, and I always assumed that the reason why she didn’t have our tasteless meals was that she had eaten meats and sweets in the rich lady’s kitchen. Our meals were boring, and there was never enough since there were ten of us — my parents plus eight children.
One afternoon my older sisters were sick, so they couldn’t take care of me. Therefore, my mother had no choice but to bring me with her. It was a long winter day and as my father hadn’t had much work, we had even less food than usual. So I was very excited to go to the rich woman’s house.
My mother placed me in a corner while she rolled out pie crust (饼皮). Then she cooked some meat, and by the afternoon, the pleasant smell filled the kitchen and was making its way into my empty stomach. Then, a bell rang in the kitchen and my mother told me, “Don’t move” and then left.
I tried to do as told, but then I thought it wouldn’t matter if I ate just one blackberry. So I put a single blackberry into my mouth. What an explosion of flavor! The wonderful taste hitting my empty stomach was more than I could handle! Soon I was throwing blackberries into my mouth with two hands! It wasn’t until I was staring at the empty bowl that I noticed the empty, unbaked pie crust sitting on the table waiting for the berries. I looked around for more berries, but there was none. Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching, so I quickly hid into the cupboard (碗柜).
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Just at the moment, my mother entered the kitchen, following a well-dressed lady.
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After the lady left, I crept(爬) out of the cupboard with tears streaming down my face.
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Mrs. Janson was 75 years old and lived alone in Keevy Street which was a little far from the downtown. Her children all lived in other cities with their family and only came once in a while. These years, maybe with the pressure of life or just being busy, they visited their mother less. The old lady lived in the house with Sunny her dog. She didn’t have the Internet and of course no computer or cell phone. Besides a few conversations in warm days with some same old neighbors, her only connection with the outside world was the old small screened television and the Post, a local newspaper, which was still sent to her mail box regularly.
Out of most people’s expectations, the mail carrier was a young lady. Her name was Morris. She came to the street every day, only with few exceptions. Different from other mail carriers, she didn’t just throw the paper on the yard and cycle away. Most of the time, if she was not too busy, she would stop and came into Mrs Janson’s house to have a chat with her, playing with Sunny, who would be happy, running to the girl and licking her cheeks. In fact, every time Morris was expected to come, the dog would sit in front of the door, looking at the end of the street, obviously waiting for her cycling up. Mrs. Janson would quickly take out the cookies prepared early and make a cup of tea for the kind lady. Every time she came in, the house would be filled with laughter and happiness.
Last Christmas, Mrs. Janson gave Morris some handmade cream to keep her hands from getting so chapped due to delivering mail. The delivering girl thanked Mrs. Janson and put the cream on her hands immediately with great delight, Mrs. Janson was so happy that she could also help someone.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
Paragraph 1:
One Friday morning, Morris came to Mrs Janson’s house as usual.
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Paragraph 2:
She went out to ask the neighbors for help.
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It was my twelfth birthday, and what I really wanted most was a new bicycle. But I knew that my family couldn’t afford one, so I settled for a bedside table with lockable drawers, a safe place to keep my private stuff.
We went to the charity shop where we found an old dark one. It didn’t look too cool, but I thought that I would paint it to make it look better.
After we took it home, I was getting ready to paint it. When I pulled the drawers out. I felt something stuck to the back. I reached in all the way, and guess what? A sealed bag with some papers in it.
When I opened the bag, I realized that the papers were official documents. And, wrapped in them were a bunch of ten and twenty dollar bills! Talk about finding a treasure! And on my birthday!
“Is this some kind of joke?” I said aloud. I went ahead and read the papers, and it turned out to be a will. Some old lady was leaving her savings for her son and grandchildren.
My mind was going crazy. Was I the luckiest twelve-year-old ever? With this money I could buy the coolest bicycle. Who knows?
I began counting. When I reached a thousand dollars, my mother was knocking on my bedroom door. I quickly closed the drawer with the money in it.
“Do you want some help? Is everything all right?” she asked.
No, everything was not right. Actually, my stomach was growling (低吼).
“I’m okay,” I lied.
When my mother left my room, I lay on my bed, starting thinking. What a dilemma (窘境)! I wished there were some one I could talk with. Could I keep it and get all kinds of stuff for me and my family? It wouldn’t be too bad for me to keep it, if I shared it...right? Thoughts ran through my mind. But I really didn’t need someone else to give me the answer.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I finally made a decision and called my parents into my bedroom.
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Though surprised, the shop owner helped find the family’s telephone number.
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8 . Charles Darnay was arrested again. Lucie, his wife was very worried.
“This is a desperate time,” said Sydney Carton. “We need to have a friend in the prison that will help us, and I think that Basard here will be that friend.”
“Why should I be your friend?” asked John Basard.
“I could begin telling people that you were and may still be a spy for England, the enemy of France. What do you say?”
“You are my sister’s friend,” Basard argued. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want to upset her.”
“I think the best thing to be done for her is to get rid of her brother,” said Sydney calmly. “I have another reason that you should help me. I think I know your friend in the wine shop.”
“No, no, that’s not possible. He is French!”
“He spoke very good French, but there was something strange about him. I think it may have been Cly.”
Now Basard laughed.
“No, no, Cly has been dead and buried for several years. He was buried in London, I helped to put his body in the coffin, and I can show you his burial certificate.”
Suddenly, Jerry Cruncher stood up, next to Basard.
“If you put him in his coffin, who took him out of it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that he was never in it! All you buried was rocks and earth!”
Sydney Carton rubbed his chin. “If we tell people that you have been talking to another England spy, and one who is supposed to be dead. I am sure that you will go to the guillotine, Basard. What do you say now?”
“What do you want?”
“Can you go in and out of the prison whenever you want?”
“Yes, I can. The guards know me and trust me.”
“Come into the other room with me. I need to talk to you in private now,” said Carton.
Jerry and then Basard were sent out.
Left in the room now were Carton and Lorry, sitting and looking into the fire.
“You are a good man and a true friend,” said Carton. “I am sorry that I could not do more than one visit to Charles.”
Then Sydney Carton continued.
“You are an old man, Mr. Lorry, and many people respect you. You have lived a useful life, and you will be missed when you are gone.”
“I have only done my job,” replied Mr. Lorry. “I am just an old bachelor, and nobody will miss me when I die.”
“Lucie will cry for you, and little Lucie will cry for you, too.”
“Yes, that’s true, thank God!”
“If nobody cried for you, then that would make all your years of work a waste of time, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, you are right, Mr. Carton.”
1. How did Sydney Carton ask John Basard to be his friend?| A．In a pleasing tune. |
| B．In an appealing tune. |
| C．In a threatening tune. |
| D．In a hesitating tune. |
| A．To give up the business of a spy. |
| B．To help Carton visit Charles. |
| C．To be a true friend of Sydney’s. |
| D．To go to the guillotine with Cly. |
| A．To show all people’s respect for his work. |
| B．To tell him of two Lucies’ cry for his death. |
| C．To wish he would help Lucie and her family. |
| D．To say good-bye to the faithful businessman. |
| A．Lorry deserved a father figure to Lucie. |
| B．People took pity on Darnay’s misfortune. |
| C．Barsad was unwilling to make friends with Carton. |
| D．Carton went to great lengths to rescue Darnay in prison. |
Not until recently have I known that a little pet can be such a helpful assistant (助手) to a helpless mom. This is all due to what our new family member, a little kitten named Thula, has done. She seems to understand exactly what Iris needs at any given time.
Within a year of my daughter’s birth in 2015, I already suspected that something was wrong. Even by babies’ standards, Iris was a frighteningly bad sleeper. She also appeared unmistakably distant. Besides, after saying “dada” at eight months, she stopped talking. Finally, aged two, she was diagnosed as autistic(自闭的).
In fact, after a long process of trial and error, I found activities that obviously did help her, including music and riding on the back of her dad’s bike. Above all, Iris showed a remarkable talent for art: producing large multi-layered Impressionist-style paintings that took her several days and that once led to the Leicester Mercury headline, “Top artist aged 3.”
Iris did make progress, but by no means steadily, with promising developments often followed by periods of regression (退步).
One night, Iris refused to sleep. As her frustrations(沮丧，懊丧) mounted, she started to cry, and her sobs filled the quiet room. I felt so hopeless as I held her close. Nothing seemed to comfort her apart from her favorite book and I longed for some help, but she pushed away all who tried except me, making me on the edge of breaking down.
Downstairs, my husband looked at Thula in surprise who had suddenly got up off his lap. Her eyes focused towards the door and she had one foot raised, perfectly poised(悬在) in the air. Something had grabbed her attention – the crying of Iris. Then her legs were moving fast. Zooming round the corner, she flew up the stairs into Iris’s bedroom and jumped onto the bed. She curled（蜷缩） up next to Iris, ignored the crying and started grooming(梳毛) herself, licking her paws (舔爪子) and rubbing them over her ears.
Paragraph 1:
Almost immediately, Iris’s mood changed.
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Paragraph 2:
I was curious about the silence, then returned to the door of Iris’s room and looked in.
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