Grandma tried to straighten out her fingers.“You know, Ann, I think I am done knitting.” she said.“My fingers just won’t do what I tell them any more.”
I looked at her hands.When I was little, she had taught me how to sew dresses for my dolls and how to embroider (刺绣) the faces of my dolls on the dresses.
But now she can hardly bend her fingers.The doctor said she should keep her hands warm.I made her cups of tea to hold and moved her chair closer to the fire.But it didn’t work.
I wasn’t used to seeing her hands so still.When I came downstairs, her quiet hands made even her voice stay still.I missed her voice more than ever.
I tried to help her find her voice.“Grandma, tell me about when you were a little girl,” I begged, knowing she loved to tell stories.“Tell me about Peti and Zoe.” Peti and Zoe were her brother and sister.“That was so long ago, Ann,” whispered Grandma.“I can barely remember.” But I still remembered her story about Peti cutting off Zoe’s two beautiful long braids (辫子) and then hiding them in the closet.Were those words still moving silently in her head?
Mom was sorting through our clothes for spring.“Ann, take these out to the trash,” Mom said.“There’s no need to keep worn-out clothes.”
I looked sadly at the pile of sweaters and then picked it up.
“Wait,” Grandma said as I walked by her and put the pile downstairs.“Let me see those.”
“Ann, wind the yarn (纱线) of the old sweater into a ball, like this.Then you can use the yarn to knit something new.” Grandma wrapped yarn around and around her fingers, first in one direction and then the other to keep the ball round.
After dinner Grandma fell asleep in her chair.
Mom came downstairs with an old pair of gloves with small holes to add to the pile of sweaters.
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, the pair of old gloves gave me an idea.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Your family,” I said, handing the gloves with the faces of Peti and Zoe to Grandma.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. What does the speaker suggest doing first?
| A．Preparing for exams in advance. |
| B．Revising regularly. |
| C．Shifting the attention. |
| A．Speaking to someone. | B．Doing some sports. | C．Listening to others. |
| A．A family member. | B．A classmate. | C．A teacher. |
1. Why does the woman come to the man?
| A．To book a flight. | B．To change a flight. | C．To confirm a flight. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. |
| A．7,600 yuan. | B．7,400 yuan. | C．200 yuan. |
| A．Her passport. | B．Her full name. | C．Her phone number. |
我轻松自信地跑着比赛，尽管自己的极限正受到前所未有的考验。
6 . Three years ago, Jasminka Jost was looking for a place for her young son, Vigo, to be active. She had tried playing soccer, but Vigo, who has autism (孤独症), had trouble focusing on the game. Jost needed a safe space for Vigo with coaches who specialized in meeting his needs. That’s when friends referred Jost and her family to the River City Inclusive Cym (RCIG), which offers workout classes for children, teens and adults with disabilities.
The gym has been in operation since 2016, renting space in a traditional gymnastics gym before moving to its current location on Patterson Avenue in April 2022. There’re six hour — long classes per day from Monday through Saturday, each with a maximum of seven attendees and each featuring one coach per participant.
“Our classes consist of an obstacle course,” says Mike McGrath, the founder of RCIG. “There’re four different sections of the gym, and we spend 15 minutes in each section. There’re monkey bars, swings, ropes for climbing and swinging, slides ropes for climbing and swinging, slides, and more. That can sound frightening, but we start from where they’re comfortable. If they just need to touch the rope at first, that’s OK, but our goal is to gradually build their skill level and participation.”
Vigo, now 6 years old, looks forward to classes every week. There’re classes for older kids and young adults, too. Christine Schwab has been bringing her niece. 20-year-old Brennan, for two years and says that the classes have improved her social and motor skills. “The coaches at RCIG were great at getting her to take the extra step — and to believe that she could,” Schwab says. “As a loved one, it’s amazing to see.”
Jost adds the gym is a good place to meet other people facing similar challenges. “Even beyond the classes, there’s a deep sense of community and belonging.” she says. “Vigo has made a lot of little friends, and it’s an opportunity to meet other parents. It’s a place we can all go and just be ourselves.”
1. What do we know about the RCIG from the text?| A．It’s popular mostly with young people. |
| B．It has been expanding around the country. |
| C．It was built on Patterson Avenue in 2016. |
| D．It is intended for people with special needs. |
| A．The current location of the gym. |
| B．The training courses and ways of the gym. |
| C．The founder of the gym. |
| D．The training coaches of the gym. |
| A．Getting along well with the participants. |
| B．Developing the participants’ confidence. |
| C．Teaching the participants to set right goals. |
| D．Bringing the participants closer together. |
| A．He has better social life. | B．He gets physically stronger. |
| C．He becomes much smarter. | D．He is able to keep focused. |
1. What does the man say about his working experience?
| A．He has taught Spanish for a couple of years. |
| B．He worked at a company for several years. |
| C．He owned a small business years ago. |
| A．To get a full-time job. | B．To gain higher pay. | C．To work close to home. |
| A．Travel. | B．Computer games. | C．Foreign languages. |
“Is this all I got?” my daughter, Allison, asked. “I asked for a new cellphone and a laptop! ”
My son, Blake, joined in, asking, “Where are the rest of the presents? I wanted a set of golf clubs and a skateboard! ”
My children, Allison and Blake, were filled with disappointment on Christmas morning. They expected fancy presents, but money had been tight since their father passed away. As a single parent, I was doing my best to provide for them, but I could no longer afford our previous lifestyle. I knew we had spoiled them, but I never realized it was this bad. Their reactions shocked and hurt me, but I tried not to show it. “Next year, we’ll be celebrating Christmas differently!” I told them firmly.
Over the following months, I planned our next Christmas celebration. I found a family in need, living on a farm about an hour away. The father had lost his job, and they were struggling to make ends meet.
As Christmas approached, we carried out our usual traditions of decorating the tree, baking cookies, and singing carols. Yet, there were no gifts under our tree. My children grew curious and asked where the presents were. Then I explained that we would be giving gifts to a family that truly needed them. They needed to see what it was like to need essentials such as clothing and food.
We went shopping to purchase essential items like coats, hats, gloves, socks, and shoes for the family. We also selected age-appropriate toys for their children. Next, we headed to the grocery store and filled our carts with everything they would need for a delicious Christmas dinner. We even bought extra items to help them through the winter.
Blake and Allison didn’t seem thrilled by the situation, but I hoped they were reflecting on their attitudes from the previous Christmas. I had a couple of gifts hidden in my closet, ready to reward them if they showed respect and kindness.
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。
Paragraph 1: On the day before Christmas Eve, we set off to deliver the gifts and food.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: As it grew late, we said our goodbyes to the family.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9 . Poaching (偷猎) is a major cause of decline for elephants, with a total decrease to about 415,000, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The research team found that poaching occurred more frequently in Central Africa and near the Mozambique-Tanzania border. In recent years, Garamba National Park, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saw more than 860 elephants die at the hands of poachers, and Selous Game Reserve, in Tanzania, more than 750. Researchers discovered that the household wealth of those surrounding areas was relatively low and they hold a mid-level health.
Researchers said, “Illegal killings are driven by criminal networks who recruit poachers rather than by opportunistic hunters. When a lot of Africa’s national parks were established, people were often forced to be evicted from the land that was now designated a protected area. Local people who had been lived on hunting suddenly became described as poachers.”
“People living within about five miles of wildlife protected area in Tanzania also reported losing up to half their income. A local survey showed the destruction of their crops by elephants and killings of their livestock by lions.” Someone added, “If you’re closest to the park, you really do suffer more cost than benefit of the protected area.”
Researchers also noted, “When local communities enjoy the benefits of conservation, it will reduce incentives (诱因) to poach. When governments ensure that local communities are not subject to carrying the burden of the costs associated with this wildlife, they will have more access to income-generating opportunities that can help to lift communities out of poverty.”
Conservationists have to think creatively, carrying out strategies such as reducing demand in ivory-consuming countries, improving educational standards and medical facilities, and increasing support for wildlife rangers. “When we are looking to protect wildlife, we can’t do that without thinking about the well-being of people,” researchers said.
1. What do the numbers in Paragraph 2 imply?| A．Elephants mainly appear in Africa. |
| B．Poachers have found the track of elephants. |
| C．Elephants living in the protected area are facing a decline. |
| D．Hundreds of elephants in Africa die at the hands of poachers. |
| A．Leave. | B．Return. | C．Wander. | D．Seek. |
| A．Elephants poaching is likely driven by need, not greed. |
| B．Household wealth of people in the protected area is relatively high. |
| C．Wildlife protection and people’s well-being should go hand in hand. |
| D．People living close to the wildlife reserve lose nearly half their income. |
| A．A health column. | B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A geographic magazine. | D．A news story. |
“I look like a clown (小丑)!” Winston thought sadly. He pulled his cap down, thankful for the cover it provided. He wanted to escape the attention of the people outside the barbershop (理发店). He looked around before hurrying away into the darkness to put some distance between himself and the curious eyes of others.
As he moved quickly down the street,Winston wondered why he hadn’t spoken up to prevent the terrible haircut. He felt sad and questioned why this had happened to him. Did the barber give him this messed-up haircut on purpose? Winston didn’t believe it because the barber looked very friendly. But it seemed so crazy! Could he have unknowingly offended the barber,and this disastrous hairstyle was the barber’s way of getting back at him?
Winston was also worried that Jack would laugh at him. Jack was his cousin and liked playing jokes. But maybe he wouldn’t; he was understanding too. Winston kept thinking about it.Upon entering his new home, ,Winston’s mom greeted him from the kitchen. She called out to him,asking to see his new hairstyle. Winston walked into the kitchen, his cap still on, and slowly took it off.
His mother looked very surprised. She couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Oh déar,” she shouted. “What happened?” Winston stood silently for a moment before letting out his anger. He blamed his mom for bringing him to this place, torcing him to attend a new school where he believed everyone would make fun of him. He also said he hated this terrible hairstyle, and his hair was beyond fixing.
Just as his anger was about to grow, the doorbell-rang. Winston’s mom calmly told him to answer it. As he opened the door, he forgot to cover his terrible haircut, and there stood his cousin Jack. Since it was Saturday today, they had planned to go skating together. Winston felt extremely embarrassed.
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。
Jack looked at Winston in disbelief.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
That afternoon, Winston returned to the barbershop, hoping to find out the truth.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
