In our weekly staff meeting, our editor Ashley was not pleased with the quality of our reporting. “Our readership is way down. We need better stories for this Thursday’s school newspaper. Does anybody have any ideas?” she said.
I handed her my article about our basketball team beating Deerfield High School the previous night by one point. “Sports stories are fun,” she said, “but not good enough for the front page. We need something to really get people ‘s attention.”
After our meeting, we left the newsroom together and heard someone screaming, “Perry is missing!” Perry was a big red parrot and had been our school mascot (吉祥物) for ten years. He played an important role in students’ lives, both in and out of class. He had also been a constant presence at school events, inspiring a sense of unity among students.
Everyone gathered around Perry’s empty cage, heartbroken. Suddenly, a student from the crowd came over and showed me a photo. “You’re a reporter for the school paper, right? I happened to take this yesterday,” he said. In the photo was a Deerfield High School basketball player with something large hidden under his shirt around the size of a parrot.
“He must have stolen Perry to get back at us for winning the game!” Ashley cried. We hurried back to the newsroom, agreeing to run the photo on the front page with the headline “Deerfeld Stole Perry.” “This is just the story we need. Everyone will read it,” Ashley said confidently.
After she left, I took a closer look at the photo. The clock in the background read 4:15 pm, but our game against Deerfield hadn’t started until 4:30 pm. Why would the boy have taken Perry before we even played? An uneasy feeling came over me that we might have falsely accused someone.
I went to Perry’s usual caretaker to ask if he knew Perry was missing. ”He’s not missing. He’s retired. He’s ready for some quieter days,“ he said. Learning the truth, I immediately told Ashley and suggested writing a story to say goodbye to Perry.
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。
To my surprise, Ashley insisted on reporting the “Deerfield Stole Perry” story.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On Thursday, the paper came out with the headline “Bye-Bye, Perry” on the front page.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ten-year-old Riley Christensen and her mother, Lynn, were sitting in front of the family computer, checking out models and prices of bikes. “Let’s pick one out for your birthday,” Lynn suggested to her daughter. The air in the room was filled with excitement as they scrolled through various options, envisioning the joy when Riley cycled around the neighborhood. They laughed together, exploring the features of each bike, and discussing colors.
As Riley scrolled down the home page of the Bike Rack, a shop in their town of St. Charles, Illinois, a video link for Project Mobility caught her eye. She clicked on it out of curiosity, unaware that this simple click would unfold a profound story of compassion and sympathy. The video clip began to narrate the inspiring journey of Bike Rack co-owner Hal Honeyman. Through it, Lynn and Riley were transported into the world of Project Mobility, witnessing how Hal Honeyman had transformed a passion for biking into an organization dedicated to providing specially engineered bicycles for those facing physical challenges. The video footage (镜头) painted a vivid picture of the positive impact these adapted bikes had on individuals — accident victims, injured veterans, and children with disabilities, including Hal’s own son, who had been born with cerebral palsy (脑瘫).
“I don’t want a bike for myself. I’m going to buy a bike for one of those kids,” Riley told her mother. Two days later, she showed Lynn a letter she had written asking for donations. “I think it’s amazing for a guy to make bikes for kids who can’t walk,” the letter said. “I saw how happy a boy was when he got one... I’m writing to ask for your help.”
Lynn was blown away by her daughter’s effort, but doubts quickly emerged. The cost of just one of those special bikes could be as high as $4,000. Riley could never raise the money.
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。
Nonetheless, her letter went out to 75 relatives and friends.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On her birthday, Riley delivered the bicycles to three lucky kids.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . Ever wondered why your partner is up with the lark (百灵鸟) while you are happily sleeping till noon? It could be thanks to Neanderthal genes, according to a new study.
Scientists comparing ancient DNA with the genetics of modern humans discovered a “striking trend”, said John Capra, an epidemiologist (流行病学家) at the University of California in San Francisco. The researchers found that the Neanderthal genes that remain affect the body clock —increasing tendency to be a morning person.
Neanderthals lived at higher latitudes (纬度) than our ancestors who migrated from Africa — further away from the equator, with the days longer in summer and shorter in winter. “The gene that makes people early risers likely enables more rapid alignment (协调一致) of the circadian clock (生物钟) with changing seasonal light patterns,” Dr Capra said, “when Neanderthals were able to make the most of daylight hours to hunt.”
Scientists have previously explored how the circadian rhythms of insects, plants, and fish have developed depending on latitude. But that hasn’t been well studied in humans. There searchers wanted to see whether there was a genetic reason for differences in circadian rhythms between Neanderthals and modern people, and found 16 variants (变异体) associated with greater “morningness”. They suspected that as Neanderthals and the ancestors of modern humans mated, people today could have followed Neanderthal “circadian variants”.
To test this, scientists analyse the genetics of several hundred thousand people from the UK Biobank and found many of the variants that affect sleep preference. “Most noticeably, they found that these variants increase morningness,” the researchers said. This is consistent with what has been found in other animals that have adapted to living at a high latitude, as Neanderthals did.
1. Why does the author mention “your partner is up with the lark” in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the following context. |
| B．To compare two morning life styles. |
| C．To praise those who get up early. |
| D．To express gratitude to Neanderthals. |
| A．The capability of hunting animals. | B．The genes from African ancestors. |
| C．The environment at higher latitudes. | D．The daylight hours around their habitats. |
| A．Morningness in human is unlike that in plants. |
| B．Insects’ circadian rhythms are impacted by latitude. |
| C．Scientists have previously studied the genes of animals. |
| D．The genes of Neanderthals is the only reason for morningness. |
| A．By analyzing statistics of the subjects. |
| B．By observing people’s sleeping habits. |
| C．By interviewing participants in the experiment. |
| D．By comparing sleep preference among human and animals. |
4 . I had not visited Eton for many years. When one day passing from the Fellows’ Library into the Gallery, I caught sight of the
This portrait-gallery of old Etonians is very
| A．statue | B．character | C．portrait | D．theme |
| A．valuable | B．distinguished | C．familiar | D．gracious |
| A．wholly | B．partly | C．curiously | D．secretly |
| A．peers | B．chairman | C．leader | D．companion |
| A．judgment | B．thought | C．memories | D．behaviour |
| A．hurriedly | B．freshly | C．anxiously | D．eagerly |
| A．selective | B．splendid | C．handsome | D．challenging |
| A．Yet | B．Therefore | C．Thus | D．However |
| A．because | B．why | C．that | D．what |
| A．observed | B．captured | C．illustrated | D．guarded |
| A．operate | B．promote | C．justify | D．permit |
| A．appreciation | B．reason | C．cause | D．effect |
| A．devotion | B．ambition | C．imagination | D．symbol |
| A．brought about | B．stood for | C．stood out | D．brought in |
| A．interpret | B．grant | C．appoint | D．identify |
The fourth graders’ school day was coming to an end. Wilson was filling his backpack when a voice came out of the loudspeaker. “Good afternoon, students. This is a reminder that the All-City Math Contest will be in two weeks. The contest is open to fifth and sixth graders, and the top prize is fifty dollars. Please speak to your teacher if you’d like to participate.
“I am confident that I could excel in that contest,” Wilson thought to himself. Determined to participate in the competition, he rushed to his teacher’s desk and told her that he wanted to enter that math contest.
Ms. Jones looked up from her papers and said, “That’s wonderful, Wilson, but I’m afraid that this contest is for fifth and sixth graders only. Besides, our class has not yet covered some of the topics that will be tested.”
Wilson was not ready to give up. He knew he had a natural talent for math. “But you know that I’m good at math!” Wilson protested. “I do math problems with my brother all the time - and he’s in sixth grade! I think I could do really well!”
“You are a very good math student, Wilson, but rules are rules. I’m sure that you can enter next year.”
Wilson came home frustrated and disappointed, stormed upstairs without saying a word to his mother, and slammed the door to his room shut. His mother quickly appeared at his door, knocked, and came in. “Dear, did something happen today?” She was concerned.
Wilson was quiet for a minute, then it all came out. In a burst of emotion, he told his mom about the contest, how excited he was to enter, and how angry he felt when his teacher told him that he wouldn’t be allowed to do so this year. “It’s just not fair, Mom,” he complained. “I know I could really do well on it. Why won’t they let me?”
Wilson’s mother put her hand on his shoulder. “Sometimes, son,” she said softly, “people follow rules even when they don’t make sense. Perhaps you can persuade your teacher to make an exception for you.”
Wilson perked up: he had an idea.
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。
The next day, Wilson went straight to Ms. Jones’ office.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Forty minutes later, he finished Ms. Jones’ test and handed it to her.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was time for the annual Potato-Salad Contest in Russet Park. After trying for the third time, Alexis shook her head sadly. There was no way she would win the Golden Potato again because Grandpa wasn’t here this year.
Memories of how Grandpa taught her to make potato rose in her mind. She sighed and missed Grandpa so much.
Alexis cut the potatoes and mixed the boiled potatoes, some sauces and a little salt and peppers in a bowl. But it didn’t taste right. Alexis tried a bite of the salad mixture, wondering what was missing. Seeing her frown, Mom suggested, “What about something spicy? Your Grandpa loved spicy things.”
“You’re right! Maybe he put a jalapeno pepper in it,” Alexis said, cutting up a bright green jalapeno and adding it to the bowl.
It was closer, but it still didn’t taste right. Alexis was drooping her head, disappointed. “Should we look in a cookbook?”
“Grandpa was never one to follow a recipe,” Dad entered the kitchen and said.
It was true. People loved Grandpa’s potato salad because it was one of a kind. Alexis remembered posing with Grandpa for a photo while they were making the salad.
Photo! That gave her an idea. Alexis hurried to the bookcase and found an old photo album. She immediately flipped it open, expecting to find clues in the photos there. Lots of photos showed Grandpa and Grandma cooking together. Dad laughed, “He and Grandma loved to tease each other but he always called her Honey.”
“Do you think he put honey in the potato salad?” Mum asked.
“It is worth a try,” said Alexis. She stirred some honey into the bowl.
But it still wasn’t quite right. Alexis’ heart sank, on the verge of giving up. Dad kept flipping the album. At the end of the album was the picture of Grandpa and Alexis making the salad together.
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。
It looked like Grandpa was crying in the photo.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With hesitation, the family tasted the potato salad with onions in it.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . When we ignore small tasks deliberately, they balloon from tiny checklist items into big annoyances. It could be a quick email or some boring paperwork-something that will only take a few minutes and yet, somehow, for some reasons, you keep on putting it off.
This is procrastination (拖延症). People who procrastinate tend to delay tasks on purpose until the last minute, or past due date, although they’re fully aware of the negative results. Typically, procrastination is caused by the lack of the ability to organize and plan how to divide time between different activities, but emotions can also be a factor, says Fuschia Sirois, a professor at the University of Sheffield.
It’s easy to understand why we procrastinate on big tasks. They can be physically or mentally demanding and require lots of time and energy. However, small tasks can lead to a particularly annoying form of procrastination. This could be something as simple as making a phone call to a stranger. You are so unwilling and afraid that you might mess it up. This makes worry sit in your mind, reduces your ability to solve the problem and then leads to procrastination. “We don’t procrastinate on tiny tasks because they slip our mind; rather, we make a conscious choice to put off something that might arouse doubt, fear or feelings of incompetence, says Sirois.
Another reason is that small tasks often don’t have hard deadlines. So, it’s easier to have an avoidance reaction because, unlike the big tasks, there’s nothing to push us.
So, how to get small things done? Sirois suggests we should move our attention from emotions to actions. “Sometimes, things are coloured by our emotions,” he explains. Once you actually begin a task, you might find it less stressful than you thought when you were procrastinating. And since a tiny task won’t take long, rather than scheduling it, just get cracking. Don’t let tiny things become big monsters.
1. What can we know about people who procrastinate?| A．They manage to finish on time. |
| B．They underestimate the consequences. |
| C．They might put off work unintentionally. |
| D．They might have time management problems. |
| A．To make a comparison with big tasks. |
| B．To show small things can be physically demanding. |
| C．To provide an example of overcoming procrastination. |
| D．To prove procrastination can result from negative feelings. |
| A．Make a plan. | B．Set a deadline. |
| C．Take immediate action. | D．Adopt a positive attitude. |
| A．Why Do We Put off Small Things? |
| B．Why Do Small Things Make Us Worried? |
| C．How Does Procrastination Affect Your Life? |
| D．How Do Negative Feelings Become Procrastination? |
“Mom, tell me the story about the black bull (公牛), ” I said when we were driving to my grandparents’ farm.
“You know it better than I do. Besides, you can’t be too careful when driving,” she answered.
“Yeah, but it’s your story and I think that story can remind me to drive slowly.” When she didn’t respond, I touched her arm gently.
“I’ll start it for you: It was a late Friday afternoon, and you were rushing home from work because you, Dad, Shelby and I were going to Dad’s parents’ farm, and it was a four-hour drive.”
Mom carried on from there.
“Once I got home,” she began, “we loaded up and headed out. It took about a half hour to get through the rush-hour traffic, but finally we reached the interstate and headed east. Because I was tired and eager to get to the farm and sleep, I drove as fast as the speed limit allowed—70 miles an hour.”
I rolled my eyes. Mom never drove the posted speed limit; she always went at least five miles over. But if I reminded her of that story, time would come to a stop.
“Time passed, and it got dark. You girls fell asleep in the back, and Dad nodded off next to me. Seat belts weren’t mandatory (强制的) at the time, so no one tied the belts. Hours later, I exited the interstate onto the little state road. The speed limit was 50, but I kept going70. There was no traffic after all, and I knew your grandparents were waiting up for us.”
I’d spent summers with my grandparents as a kid, and they did indeed go to bed early, as farmers do.
“At last, I reached the turn that would take us to the farm. The road was a narrow, less maintained farm-to-market road that locals used. It was completely dark, and the only light was from my headlights. I pressed the pedal (踏板) harder and sped up.”
This was the point in the story that always turned my blood cold.
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。
“Suddenly, a large, black shape appeared in your headlights,” I cut in.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Luckily, the car stopped but the sudden action awoke all of you,” Mom smiled.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It’s a great pity that I had not put forth the amount of effort required. I had spent too much time playing with my friends instead of improving myself. I had let down my teacher, who was the kindest, sweet, and prettiest one I had ever known. She laughed often, and never threatened any of us, yet she was able to “read” the children, control the class, and teach effectively. Miss Pratt put a lot of herself into her work. Every day near the close of school, she would read to us, or even better, tell us stories about when she was a little girl. Most importantly, she made us feel that she cared about us and that we were important.
Because of a serious car accident when I was three and a half years old, I had a scar below my nose that was the result of a torn upper lip. Everything else had healed up without any after effects physically, but my emotions remained scarred. Meanwhile, having been called “Chief Running Nose ”and “Scarface” by many insensitive children, my confidence had suffered. Although my parents and relatives referred to me as pretty, I did not see myself that way.
Focusing on my scar, I could not appreciate any redeeming features (可取之处). At the end of one school day, I remained in my classroom, waiting for the arrival of my mother, who was coming to take me to an appointment close to the school. Miss Pratt sat at her desk with a fellow teacher and chatted.
I glanced at the clock and realized it was time to get ready to leave. I put on my wool coat and hat. The teachers looked at my clothes and seemed to admire it. I was able to read their lips a little and my ears perked up to hear, “Who is she? She really is cute.” My teacher Miss Pratt answered, “I agree; Bernice is quite adorable.”
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。
“Adorable” was exactly what grabbed me since it was almost my favorite word.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________About two months later, Miss Pratt announced that I got first place in the final exam.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Hello, Mrs. Briggs. It’s so nice of you to speak to the juniors in my business class. I try to prepare them for the world outside of high school, which they’ll soon be entering,” Ms. Johnson said, eagerly shaking my hand.
A few weeks earlier, Ms. Johnson had reached me about speaking to her class. She’d read an article in the local paper about me. She was particularly interested in my story because I’m a female who started a business from the ground up. She was passionate about preparing her high-school students for the world lying ahead. She knew they’d go in many different directions after graduation. Her enthusiasm seemed to help build my own.
So I began my speech. “I’m here to speak to you today because I’m an entrepreneur. My company, Grime Fighters, was born three years ago out of a desire to work outside the home yet be home for my kids when they came home from school. It all began with a bag of cleaning rags, a pair of household gloves, and a long-time friend who asked me to start by cleaning her house. She was pleased with my work, dependability and trustworthiness. She then passed on the name of my company to her friends. Since then, Grime Fighters has grown steadily, relying strictly on word-of-mouth, which gives me a consistent and quality customers.” I said, smiling at the sea of teens.
“I started alone with just myself cleaning houses. I began hiring employees as the business grew. I now have seven women who work part-time five days a week with hours that perfectly align for them to meet their kids when the school bus drops them off in the afternoon. These hours work smoothly for my employees as well as my clients,” I explained.
Feeling that I’d talked long enough, I asked, “Are there any questions, boys and girls?” AI this point, a young man raised his hand and said, “I’d like to know if it’s a hard job to set up your own business.”
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。
Memories flooded into my mind at his question.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After my presentation, Rebecca, one of the girl students, wrote me a letter.
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