Kevin and I were friends in the elementary school. As top students, both of us sat in the front of the class, but in opposite sides. He was the smartest boy I’d ever known, who almost always got A+ in assignments. Actually, I was second only to him. Part of me wanted to hate him, but I couldn’t. After all, we were close companions. Instead, I envied him and longed with all my heart to be just like him.
Mrs. Becker, our teacher, was a patient, kind old lady. She would flash a pleasant smile, when the class got into an argument, and patiently guide us toward the correct answer. Last week, Mrs. Becker, put a big circle on the blackboard and said it was a pizza pie. “David,” she said to me. “If I were to divide the pizza, would you like one-third or one-tenth?” Ten is the bigger number, so that’s what I picked. At that moment, Kevin started waving his hand in the air, shouting that he chose one-third. Mrs. Becker drew lines on the circle, showing that Kevin’s piece of the pie was bigger than, mine. “David’s gonna get hungry,” Kevin joked. Then the whole class was laughing. My expression changed from a half smile, to a half frown, to one hundred percent unhappy face.
With a mixture of bitterness and envy slipping into my heart, I began to argue with him on purpose during the rest of class. Thus, a heated argument unavoidably broke out when a controversial topic appeared. After hearing our separate statements patiently, Mrs. Becker brought us up to the front of the class and placed Kevin on one side of her desk and me on the other. In the middle of her desk was a large, round object. I could clearly see that it was black. She asked Kevin what color the object was. “White,” he answered. “I couldn’t believe he said the object was white, when it was obviously black!” Another argument started between us, but this time about the color of the object. Mrs. Becker smiled gently. She explained that the object was actually a sphere with half black and half white, demonstrating the importance of perspective and understanding before jumping to conclusions.
1. Who is Kevin and what was his relationship with me? (use less than 20 words)2. Why couldn’t I just hate Kevin completely? (use less than 10 words)
3. Describe my personalities with two adjectives (2 words)
4. How did I feel when I was joked by Kevin in class? (use less than 5 words)
5. What can you learn from the story? (use less than 20 words)
2 . Mark was a 11-year-old boy. One day he was selling magazines for his school fees, walking up to a house that people rarely visited. The owner hardly ever came out. When he did come out, he would not say hello to his neighbors or passers-by but simply just glared at (怒视) them. It was said that the old man’s name was Henry.
Mark knocked on the door and waited, sweating due to fear of the old man. Dusk found Mark wandering and hesitating (犹豫) what to do. As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened: “Why are you standing here?” the old man Henry said without any patience. Mark was very afraid but he got up the courage and said, “Uh, sir, I am selling these magazines and, uh, I was wondering if you would like to buy one from me.”
Henry just stared at Mark without saying a word. Mark could see Henry had dog figurines (小雕像) on the shelves inside his house. “Do you collect dog figurines?” Mark asked. “Yes. They are my family here and they are all I have.” Mark then felt sorry for Henry, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul.
“Well, I do have a magazine here for collectors. It is perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.” Henry was ready to close the door on the boy and said, “No, boy. I don’t need any magazines of any kind, now goodbye.”
Mark was sad that he was not going to achieve his goal of selling a certain number of magazines. He was also sad for the old man. Mark went home and then had an idea. He had a little dog figurine given by his parents as a birthday gift. But it did not mean so much to him since he had a real living dog and a large family.
1. 根据文本内容从方框中选择恰当的词并用其正确形式填入文本图示中，每词限用一次，有两词为多余选项。| excite polite patient nervous sell sympathy refuse intend mention lonely share show | ||
| Mark went to Henry’s house |
| Henry had a bad reputation for being |
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| Mark knocked on the door even though he was |
| Henry opened the door and asked |
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| Mark explained his |
| Henry |
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| Henry was sad for not selling enough magazines and also had |
| Henry was actually very |
2. What kind of person is Mark?
3. What might have happened to Henry?
4. What may happen next?
Dave had loved basketball for as long as he could remember and he had never had a day without playing it. At primary school and junior high school he joined basketball clubs, attended training programs and watched basketball games, from which he learned the moves of the star players, wishing to play in a professional team like them and shine on the court.
Now as a senior high school student, however, his dream of becoming a professional player was dimming (变暗) because he was only of average height. He had to give up the hope of joining the school team. The guys on the school team were all tall boys who played matches and won honors for the school. They were like heroes. Dave watched them play and cheered them but he knew he would never be one of them.
Dave felt it a pity not to be tall enough, but this didn’t stop him from pouring his passion into basketball. He just played for the love of the sport. He played in the school gym with other boys or by himself every day, even during holidays and weekends, when it was open for two hours in the morning. He enjoyed every minute on the court making every effort to play better.
It was one Saturday morning. Dave was playing in the gym by himself, as all the other boys were busy with other weekend affairs. Then he noticed a tall boy approaching. It was Lankas. Everybody knows him as captain of the school basketball team. “Hi, Lankas,” Dave greeted him. “My name is Dave.” “Hi, Dave,” Lankas replied as he got closer. “Nice to see you here. Do you need an opponent (对手) to play against?” Dave was shocked, frozen right there, unable to believe his ears but somehow, he answered, “Why not?” So, a game of two players began. During the game, Dave went all out to play against this opponent, forgetting all about his height. It was a game he could play to his heart’s content. It was more like an enjoyment than a challenge. “Can we meet again?” Lankas asked.
1. Why did Dave give up the hope of joining the school team? (3 points)2. What made Dave keep playing basketball? (3 points)
3. What might happen after the game? (4 points)
There are two important teachers in this world. One is the nature. It was considered to be the best teacher in the old days, because man learned a lot from nature like lighting the fire and growing rice. It also provides man with many necessary things for life, such as water, food and so on.
Hu, 31, is a pioneer in nature education. He set up an organization five years ago. It offers nature-based programs to children under 12 years old, including many outdoor activities, such as planting trees and watching birds.
“Nature is friendly to us if we protect her. And don’t forget that we all are part of nature,” He said. The purpose of nature education is to teach people how to understand, respect (尊重) and get on well with nature.
Here comes the other important teacher — a book. The experiences people learned from nature were written down in the form of a book. This was a step forward because man could record their experiences and thoughts.
Books play an important role in our lives. Su Mingjuan, a girl from a poor family in a small village, has finished college and become a good bank clerk. She volunteers to encourage people to read more. She said, “Without reading books, I can’t have such a wonderful life.” Besides Su, millions of people learn from books and have better lives. Some people ever said, “A book is like a garden carried in the pocket (口袋).”
1. The passage mainly talks about2. According to Paragraph 1, nature teaches us some skills like
3. Hu works on nature education to help people
4. How did people record their experiences and thoughts in Paragraph 4? (10个词以内)
5. What can you learn from Su Mingjuan’s story? (20个词以内)
Shanti wanted the wooden doll in Ramu’s toy shop. “The one with the red dress,” she told her best friend, Jodi.
“How will you afford it?” Jodi asked.
Shanti smiled. “I asked my mom if I could make rose garlands (花环) and sell them at my aunt’s market stand. Want to do that, too?”
“Good idea!” said Jodi.
Early the next morning, the girls met at the rose bushes outside of Shanti’s house. Pretty roses surrounded them with fresh scent (香味). They carefully picked the flowers and dropped them into a basket. Then the girls sat under a mango tree and knotted (编) the flowers into garlands. Shanti could already see herself hugging that beautiful doll.
“If we sell enough garlands, we can each get a doll,” said Shanti.
Jodi shook her head. “My family is low on money this week. I’ll use my money to pay for Kiran’s medicine.” Kiran was Jodi’s little brother.
“Is he sick?” Shanti asked.
“He is. But when he gets his medicine, he’ll be fine.” Jodi picked up her garlands. “My mother is expecting me. I’ll meet you at the market.”
Shanti spent the afternoon selling garlands at her aunt’s market stand. But where was Jodi? By early evening, Shanti had sold all her flowers.
Shanti was on her way home when she saw Jodi heading to the market with her garlands. “Why are you so late?” Shanti asked.
“I had to watch Kiran while my mother was busy.” Jodi said.
“Why didn’t you take him with you?” Shanti said.
Jodi shook her head. “He’s too sick to go out. He coughs and coughs.”
Shanti knew Jodi wouldn’t make enough money for the medicine now. The market would be closing soon.
1. 根据文本内容从方框中选择恰当的词并用其正确形式填入文本图示中，每词限用一次，有两词为多余选项。| order home imagine afford knot invite hurry medicine late sick gather naughty |
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| Shanti was very fond of a wooden doll but couldn’t |
| They |
| Shanti was selling garlands while Jodi had to stay at |
2. What was Jodi like?(答案至少包括3个形容词)
3. Knowing Jodi’s situation, what would Shanti probably do?
4. Who was most likely to buy the doll finally? Why?
It was a cold December, and things were tough. Mum had a hard time raising us kids on her own in our small community. We relied on social assistance to keep us clothed, and although our clothes were secondhand, we thought they were beautiful.
Looking back, I realized what Mum went through sending us kids to school. Every morning she would tuck (塞) a new piece of cardboard in our shoes because our soles (鞋底) were worn out. When we got home, Mum would have French toast ready for us. Our rent was $100 a month, but Mum couldn’t pay it, and we knew we would move out right after Christmas on the first of January.
The holidays were fast approaching, and we were entitled to (有资格获得) $100 for Christmas from social services. It was four days before Christmas. Mum said that instead of buying food, she was going to use the money to pay our back rent. That way we’d have a roof over our heads for a little while longer. Then she told us that there would be no Christmas gifts.
What Mom didn’t know was that I had been selling Christmas trees, sweeping snow and doing part-time jobs to earn enough money to buy a new pair of boots -- boots that weren’t patched (缝补); boots with no cardboard in it. I knew exactly which boots I wanted. They were ten-inch, Top-Genuine, Pierre Paris boots, and they cost $23.
The big day for getting my boots came on Christmas Eve afternoon. I was very excited as I hurried up the shopping center for it. On the way, I noticed a grocery store(杂货店).
1. What difficult situation was the author caught in? (3 points)2. What would the author do finally? (3 points)
3. What lesson has the author learnt from the experience? (4 points)
7 . We live near a famous hospital in the city. Since our house is big, we rent some rooms to the patients.
One evening, a truly ugly old man came. Extremely politely, he said, “Good evening. I’m wondering if you have a room for just one night. I came for treatment from the eastern shore (海岸), and there’s no bus till the morning.” He told me he’d been searching for a room since noon, but failed because of his face.
For a moment, I hesitated (犹豫), not only because there was no room left. But his following words convinced (说服了) me: “I could sleep on the floor. I’ll leave early in the morning.”
By chatting with him, I knew he fished for a living to support a big family. But what touched me most was that instead of complaining, he was grateful that his disease didn’t bring him terrible pain.
At bedtime, we put a bed in the children’s room for him. The next morning, he got up early and asked if he could come again. I told him he would be welcome.
On his next trip, he arrived early in the morning.
1. 根据文本内容从方框中选择恰当的词并用其正确形式填入文本图示中，每词限用一次，有两词为多余选项| ask polite agree accept change complain move sleep hard welcome ignore strong | ||
| An ugly old man came to my house and |
| He felt helpless and spoke very |
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| The old man explained his situation and I |
| I didn’t want |
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3. What may the old man do for the writer’s family when he came the next time?
4. How would the writer feel about knowing the old man? Why?
My dad, George, only had an eighth grade education. A quiet man, he didn’t understand my world of school activities. From age 14, he worked. And his dad, Albert, took the money my dad earned and used it to pay family expenses(费用).
I didn’t really understand his world either: He was a livestock trucker (牲畜卡车司机), and I thought that I would surpass (超过) anything he had accomplished (完成) by the time I walked across the stage at high school graduation.
Summers in the mid-70s were spent at home shooting baskets, hitting a baseball, or throwing a football, preparing for my future as a quarterback (橄榄球的四分卫) on a football team. In poor weather, I read about sports or practiced my trombone (长号).
The summer before my eighth grade I was one of a group of boys that a neighboring farmer hired to work in his field. He explained our basic task, the tractor fired up and we were off, riding down the field looking for weeds (杂草) to spray with chemicals. After a short way, the farmer stopped and pointed at a weed which we missed. Then we began again. This happened over and over, but we soon learned to identify different grasses like cockleburs, lamb’s-quarters, foxtails, and the king of weeds, the pretty purple thistle (蓟草). It was tiring work, but I looked forward to the pay, even though I wasn’t sure how much it would amount to.
At home, my dad said, “A job’s a big step to growing up. I’m glad you will be contributing to the household(一家人).” My dad’s words made me realize that my earnings might not be mine to do with as I wished.
My labors (劳动) lasted about two weeks, and the farmer said there might be more work, but I wasn’t interested. I decided it was not fair (公平的) that I had to contribute my money.
Paragraph 1: The pay arrived at last.
Paragraph 2: I understood immediately what my parents were worried about.
1. 根据所给问题，在题空白处填入适当单词（1个单词）或句子使句意完整。
(1) How would “I” feel when the pay arrived?
The pay arrived at last. Although the job was very tiring, I was very
(2) What would “I” react when “my” father asked how much money “I” had earned?
I was
(3) What would “I” think of when “I” saw “my” tired father?
The next morning, my dad’s livestock truck started running. I saw my father’s hard-working figure (身影) and thought of his words “
2. 根据所给问题及汉语提示进行翻译（1个单词或句子），完成这一小题。
In my opinion, what would “my” parents were worried about? What would “I” realise then?
They were worried that I was too ①
3. 请根据问题提示试着续写一小段文字（40词左右）。
How would “I” deal with his earnings in the end? Write some sentences to continue the story.
In the evening, Dad came back.
The summer I turned 16, my father gave me his 1969 Chevy Malibu convertible (敞篷车), beautifully repainted cherry red with V-8 engine. Hannah and I could drive around Tucson with the top down.
Hannah was my best friend, a year younger but much taller. “Hannah’s a beautiful girl,” my mother always said. And sure enough, that summer she signed with a modeling agency.
A month after my birthday, Hannah and I went to the movies. On the way home, we stopped at the McDonald’s drive-through, putting the fries on the seat between us to share. “Let’s ride around a while,” I said. It was a clear night, full moon casting low over the desert. Making a turn too fast, I hit a patch of dirt and the back of the car slid to the other side. I then drove through a neighbor’s backyard wall and knocked into a full- grown palm tree.
There were French fries on the floor, the dash (仪表盘), and my lap. An impossible amount of blood was on Hannah’s face, pieces of skin hanging beside her eyes. They took us in separate ambulances. In the emergency room, my parents spoke quietly, “Best plastic surgeon (整形医生) in the city…but it is more likely to be the end of her modeling career. …”
I’d broken my cheek bone on the steering wheel (方向盘) . Hannah’s forehead had split (撕裂) wide open on the dash.
What would I say to her?
When her mother, Amber, came into my hospital room, I started to cry, preparing myself for her anger. She sat beside me and took my hand. “I rear-ended (追尾) my best friend when I was your age,” she said. “I destroyed her car and mine.” “I’m so sorry.” I said, knowing Amber was trying her best to comfort me and helping me out of my terrible sense of guilt and self-blame. “The most important is that you’re both alive. I forgive you and Hannah will too. ” She said.
1. What happened to the author and Hannah a month after the author’s 16th birthday?2. What would happen to Hannah’s modeling career and why?
3. What might the author say to Hannah and how might Hannah respond? (No less than 15 words)
10 . I remember the first time I met Roy. He was standing in the center of a group of boys, and he was telling a joke. He was really a popular boy. My name is Daniel. I was the new boy in the class. My father had been offered a job in London, so our whole family moved here. I was twelve and, having lost all my old friends, I felt uneasy and lonely at my new school.
There were 33 students in my new class, and most people weren’t very interested in a shy new boy. Roy was one of the few people who was kind to me. Roy and I became good friends. We relied on each other and we could talk about personal matters, things that were important to us.
Five years later, Roy and I are still in the same class. But just under a year ago, Roy’s father was knocked down by a car. He died a few days later. The family had to move to a much smaller house because they couldn’t afford the big house any more. Roy, who had always been very close to his father, changed completely, becoming silent and moody.
Last week our school had a big fair in order to raise money for a charity (慈善机构). It was very successful and by the end of the day, we had made about £500. Our class teacher, Mr White, came and chatted to a group of us that included Roy, and held up a box for us to see. “There’s £500 in here,” he said with a smile. But to our surprise, the next morning, we were told that the money had been stolen. Mr White had left the box in the classroom for a few minutes, and when he came back it had disappeared. The head teacher asked anyone who thought they might know something about it to come to him.
This weekend, I went to Roy’s home. Roy was out, and I went upstairs to his bedroom to wait for him. It was a cold day and his jacket was lying on the back of a chair. I put it on and put my hands in the pockets. I could feel a lot of paper notes and I pulled them out.
It looked as if there was about £500 there. I was so surprised that I just stood there, holding the notes in my hands.
At that moment, the door opened, and Roy walked in.
1. 根据文本内容从方框中选择恰当的词并用其正确形式填入文本图示中，每词限用一次，有两词为多余选项。hit angry cheap pocket fresh raise upset quietly help friend depend lose | ||
| I moved to a new city and I was |  | I was |
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| Roy was a popular boy in the class and he was |  | We two became friends and |
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| Just under a year ago, Roy’s father | | Roy’s family moved to a |
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| Last week our school had a fair to help a charity, where we | | The money was |
根据文本内容回答下列问题。
2. Who might be the thief that stole the money? Why do you think so?
3. When Roy walked in, how might the author feel and what might he say?
4. What would they possibly do next?
