The Charm (魅力) of Schoolyard
In the charm of school life, where classrooms are seats of knowledge and the schoolyard becomes source of memory, there are a fund of stories mixed with humor, warmth, and teacher-student relationships.
Mr. Smith was a country teacher, but not an ordinary one; he was a storyteller, a mentor (人生导师) , and a friend to all his students. His classroom was a world of its own, full of colorful characters and brilliant ideas. One day, during the noon break, a student named Alice noticed a wandering kitten padding (潜行) through the familiar grounds where many schoolyard tales were born. Alice took her to Mr. Smith, who had magical Tricks for handling even the smallest things. With Mr. Smitt’s permission, Alice and her classmates built a shelter for the kitten in a corner of the campus.
The days turned into weeks, and the kitten grew under the tender care of Mr. Smith and his students. Once in a while, she became a temporary resident of the classroom, much to the delight of the whole class. They named her “Schoolyard”, a name that generalized the spirit of their school days.
As the year progressed, Schoolyard became not just a kitten, but a tie connecting each of them and a thread of continuity in their lives. She played on desks, slept in chairs, and hid in folders, thus becoming an unofficial mascot (吉祥物) of the classroom. The students found comfort in her presence, and Mr. Smith, joy in watching them grow through her company.
As graduation neared, Mr. Smith gathered his students for one last lesson. He told them that they would soon be exploring new horizons. He reminded them that life was full of unforeseeable twists and tums along with unexpected potentials, just like the appearance of a kitten in their schoolyard. At the moment, the students were greatly touched and deep down there arose a strong love for those memorable warmth and hearty laughter of their school days.
Thereafter, Mr. Smith and the students agreed to meet here once again in ten years.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
A decade later, Mr. Smith greeted his former students at the school gate.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Isn’t that our Schoolyard?” cried Alice, gazing at the classroom door.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . For the past 18 years, my daughter has been around me all the time. Now that she is in college, the
A week ago, my daughter wanted to
Research shows that parents are
We may have to
| A．problem | B．progress | C．goal | D．context |
| A．cold | B．special | C．different | D．casual |
| A．normal | B．idea | C．approach | D．solution |
| A．catch up | B．take over | C．check out | D．break away |
| A．visited | B．touched | C．tried | D．emailed |
| A．by taxi | B．by text | C．in private | D．in person |
| A．stupid | B．angry | C．excited | D．asleep |
| A．available | B．interested | C．ready | D．guilty |
| A．saddest | B．busiest | C．happiest | D．best |
| A．decide | B．wonder | C．investigate | D．distinguish |
| A．kind | B．appreciative | C．sensitive | D．relevant |
| A．voice | B．ignore | C．shift | D．continue |
| A．human | B．virtual | C．physical | D．permanent |
| A．widened | B．formed | C．broken | D．bridged |
| A．college | B．relationship | C．change | D．communication |
The market for wearable technology in the past few years has been on a rapid rise. We seem to have too much attachment to data accessible on those devices.
The challenge for athletes
Earlier this month, Sara Hall, a professional marathon runner competing in the U.S. Olympic marathon trials, actually
4 . Any schoolchild knows that a whale breathes through its blowhole. Fewer know that a blowhole is a nostril (鼻孔) slightly changed by evolution into a form more useful for a mammal that spends its life at sea. And only a dedicated expert would know that while toothed whales, such as sperm whales, have one hole, baleen (鲸须) whales, such as humpback and Rice whales, have two.
Even among the baleen whales, the placing of those nostrils differs. In some species they are close together. In others, they are much further apart. In a paper published in Biology Letters Conor Ryan, a marine biologist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, suggests why that might be. Having two nostrils, he argues, helps whales smell in stereo (立体空间).
Many types of baleen whales eat tiny animals known as zooplankton (浮游动物), which they catch by filtering (过滤) them from seawater using the sheets of fibrous baleen that have replaced teeth in their mouths. But to eat something you first have to find it. Toothed whales do not hunt by scent. In fact, the olfactory bulb—the part of the brain that processes smell—is absent in such creatures. But baleen whales still have olfactory bulbs, which suggests smell remains important. And scent can indeed give zooplankton away. Zooplankton like to eat other tiny creatures called phytoplankton (浮游植物). When these are under attack, they release a special gas called dimethyl sulphide, which in turn attracts baleen whales.
Most animals have stereoscopic senses. Having two eyes, for instance, allows an animal to compare the images from each in order to perceive depth. Having two ears lets them locate the direction from which a sound is coming. Dr Ryan theorized that paired blowholes might bring baleen whales the same sorts of benefits.
The farther apart the sensory organs are, the more information can be extracted by the animal that bears them. The researchers used drones to photograph the nostrils of 143 whales belonging to 14 different species. Sure enough, baleen whales that often eat zooplankton, such as the North Atlantic right whale, have nostrils that are farther apart than do those, such as humpback whales, that eat zooplankton occasionally. Besides allowing them to breathe, it seems that some whales use their blowholes to determine in which direction dinner lies.
1. What do we know about whales’ nostrils according to the first two paragraphs?| A．They are adapted ones. | B．They are developed merely for smell. |
| C．They are not easy to detect. | D．They are fixed universally in numbers. |
| A．The teeth that baleen whales have. |
| B．The smell that phytoplankton send. |
| C．The sound waves that zooplankton create. |
| D．The chemical signals that zooplankton give off. |
| A．By quoting a theory. | B．By using examples. |
| C．By making contrast. | D．By making inferences. |
| A．The sense of smell. | B．The possibility to attract food. |
| C．The ability to locate food. | D．The ability to communicate. |
5 . It’s no secret that reading good news feels a lot better than reading bad news. Like, would you rather bite into a lemon, or sip on a fresh glass of lemonade?
In fact, good news, known as solutions journalism, is becoming more popular, as publishers and news stations discover the benefits of sharing positive stories. Good Good Good is one of them.
“If it bleeds, it leads.” has long been a saying used in the media to describe how news stories about violence, death and destruction draw readers’ attention.
| A．Share good news with people around you. |
| B．It’s just that we don’t hear as much about them. |
| C．But the “bad news” has its place in the world. |
| D．It provides a more balanced view of the world. |
| E．And so, negative news stories are everywhere on news media. |
| F．Heartwarming stories make you cry and feel good. |
| G．The news media company is devoted to providing good news intentionally. |
6 . Fine Arts Students Deliver Magical Performances
As the winter holidays approach,Brookhaven School students presented an array of extraordinary performances showcasing immense talent within our fine arts community. From the band concert to the choral concerts, each event highlighted the dedication and exceptional gifts of our students.
The December 12 Eagles Band Concert filled Woodruff Auditorium with melodies that captured the festive spirit.On December 14, the Foundations Christmas Choral Concert featured spirited performances by our 7th graders. The finale of seasonal fine arts showcases occurred on December 18 in Brady Theater with the Senior Chior Concert,spotlighting high school singers.
A highly anticipated tradition,the school-wide Holiday Assembly on December 19, hosted by esteemed Fine Arts Department Chair Mr.Kaminer, embodied the true essence of the holiday season. Angelic songs filled Young Gym, followed by joyous laughter and cheers as the “best costume” winners received their awards. Even the youngest War Eagles,the children in the Brookhaven Early Learning Center, attended the celebrations.Following the event, students merrily left school for the holiday break.
Looking toward 2024, anticipation builds for the Brookhaven theater spring productions. “Something Rotten!” promises high-energy comedic performances by theater students, while “Tuck Everlasting” assures a moving portrayal by talented Foundations students. Furthermore,the Brookhaven Dance Company will hold their showcase April 11-12 in Woodruff Auditorium. Tickets will soon be available for purchase.
1. What did the students at Brookhaven School do before the winter holidays?| A．They performed magic tricks. | B．They participated in community service. |
| C．They gave holiday concerts. | D．They presented new theatre productions. |
| A．It was a large celebration within the school. | B．It was an award presentation for best students. |
| C．It featured various fun music and sports events. | D．It was held on the first day of the winter holiday. |
| A．A fine arts brochure. | B．A school announcement. |
| C．A school newsletter. | D．A concert advertisement. |
7 . Is forgiveness against our human nature? To answer our question, we need to ask a further question: What is the essence of our humanity? For the sake of simplicity, people consider two distinctly different views of humanity. The first view involves dominance and power. In an early paper on the psychology of forgiveness, Droll (1984) made the interesting claim that humans’ essential nature is more aggressive than forgiving allows. Those who forgive are against their basic nature, much to their harm. In his opinion, forgivers are compromising their well-being as they offer mercy to others, who might then take advantage of them.
The second view involves the theme of cooperation, mutual respect, and even love as the basis of who we are as humans. Researchers find that to fully grow as human beings, we need both to receive love from and offer love to others. Without love, our connections with a wide range of individuals in our lives can fall apart. Even common sense strongly suggests that the will to power over others does not make for harmonious interactions. For example, how well has slavery worked as a mode of social harmony?
From this second viewpoint of who we are as humans, forgiveness plays a key role in the biological and psychological integrity of both individuals and communities because one of the outcomes of forgiveness, shown through scientific studies, is the decreasing of hatred and the restoration of harmony. Forgiveness can break the cycle of anger. At least to the extent the people from whom you are estranged accept your love and forgiveness and are prepared to make the required adjustments. Forgiveness can heal relationships and reconnect people.
As an important note, when we take a Classical philosophical perspective, that of Aristotle, we see the distinction between potentiality and actuality. We are not necessarily born with the capacity to forgive, but instead with the potential to learn about it and to grow in our ability to forgive. The actuality of forgiving, its actual appropriation in conflict situations, develops with practice.
1. What is Droll’s idea about forgiveness?| A．People should offer mercy to others. |
| B．Aggressive people should learn to forgive. |
| C．Forgiveness depends on the nature of humanity. |
| D．People who forgive can have their own welfare affected. |
| A．To forgive is to love. | B．To dominate is to harm. |
| C．To fight is to grow. | D．To give is to receive. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Reserved. | C．Objective. | D．Skeptical. |
| A．Forgiveness is in our nature. | B．Forgiveness grows with time. |
| C．It takes practice to forgive. | D．Actuality is based on potentiality. |
8 . In a small town lived Matthew, a diligent (勤奋的) youth with a passion for English. Nevertheless, he was completely
One day, Matthew received an email from a stranger, claiming by
However, the story didn’t
Matthew’s story spread throughout the town. People expressed their
The Internet isn’t without risks. When we
| A．capable | B．ignorant | C．cautious | D．suspicious |
| A．price | B．fine | C．rent | D．debt |
| A．sharing | B．reviewing | C．developing | D．purchasing |
| A．lacked | B．deleted | C．included | D．translated |
| A．donation | B．contract | C．account | D．document |
| A．cheated | B．relieved | C．rejected | D．motivated |
| A．end | B．occur | C．progress | D．transform |
| A．withdraw from | B．interact with | C．push forward | D．dig into |
| A．reminded | B．permitted | C．forbade | D．hired |
| A．anxiety | B．admiration | C．desire | D．forgiveness |
| A．rapidly | B．temporarily | C．individually | D．continuously |
| A．charity | B．reform | C．prevention | D．participation |
| A．cause | B．encounter | C．witness | D．bear |
| A．wisdom | B．memory | C．freedom | D．property |
| A．accessible | B．permanent | C．harmonious | D．complicated |
My political career in the Student Union(SU)began by throwing frisbees (飞盘) on the campus lawn. I would throw a frisbee to someone I didn’t know and they would throw it to someone they didn’t know. Before long, we had built a community of people who met every day at lunch to throw frisbees.
Besides frisbees, the group decided to climb the mountain near our campus. When we reached the peak, it felt like we were at summer camp. We laughed, danced and told jokes.It was totally fun. While playing like little children in the cool mountain air, we all decided to do it again the following week. Our motto (座右铭) was “Bring a Friend” . We started out with a small group of hikers. But as the word spread, the number of participants increased.We made it a rule to climb the mountain every weekend. All of us were passionate about the fantastic experience, which we were looking forward to.
One day on campus, I decided to throw my frisbee to some strangers, run over and invite them to climb the mountain. Much to my surprise, a girl sitting in a wheelchair got hold of it. Her name was Grace. I asked her if she had ever been to the top of the mountain.She said she hadn’t. Holding the wheelchair tightly, she hung down her head in awkward silence. Then she told me that she had suffered from lung disease when she was young and depended on oxygen twenty-four hours a day. So, it was impossible for her to move without help. Fortunately, things got better.
With continuous efforts and treatment, she managed to live on her own with the assistance of the wheelchair: I told her that my friends and I would carry her if she were up for it. On hearing what I said, she refused without hesitation, adding that it would be a bother to carry her. But I tried my best to persuade her to come along with us by talking about the interesting experiences.
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。
Having thought for a while, Grace still refused my offer.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On the downhilt path, Grace asked me why not run for the SU election.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yang Jiang was a well-known Chinese playwright, translator, and author. She belonged to
Yang was born into a rich family in 1911,
Other than translations, Yang
