1 . I always had a nice cup of tea every morning in my country in Indonesia.
| A．I didn't say anything. |
| B．One day I had a cup of tea at the university tea room. |
| C．It gave me a great feeling in the morning. |
| D．Finally, I found a nice coffee shop with many people queuing (排队) to order. |
5 . In a year that has been characterized by the restriction, there are two activities I have found myself doing more of: running and writing.
At first glance, these two passions seem to be completely opposite. When I write, I’ll retreat (缩进) into my head, where I dig memories, ideas, characters to shape into stories. When I run, I’ll fully inhabit my body. The sounds and feelings of physical effort—foot strike, heartbeat and sweat—drown out the thoughts.
Despite their differences, though, there are similarities. Running and writing are both things we do alone. They both demand at times that we dig deep, keep going and never give up. I’ve also found that running can be complementary to writing. If I’ve been sat for hours, there’s nothing more restorative than getting out for a run. Sometimes when I’m least expecting it, solutions to tricky twists present themselves and ideas drop in as if the movement of running has itself shaken things into place. On the other hand, running especially long-distances has taught me to be brave, to look inside myself to see if there’s more to give. It has also taught me patience.
I’m far from the first runner to notice that running can help the writing process. Reflecting on her writing methods in an article in The New York Times, author and lifelong runner Joyce Oates wrote: Running seems to allow me, ideally, to have an expanded consciousness in which I can imagine what I’m writing as a film or a dream. I can’t say there is an expanded consciousness when I put on my trainers after a hard day’s writing, but there’s some evidence that working up a sweat can also fire up the imagination.
It’s not clear what’s behind the creativity though increased oxygen to the brain has been shown to help cognitive processes, so there’s no reason to think it’s useless. Whatever the link between running and creativity is, next time I find myself struggling to find the right words in the face of a deadline, I’ll run for it.
1. What does running contribute to the author’s writing process?| A．Exhaustion and challenges. | B．Relaxation and consciousness. |
| C．Affection and physical benefits. | D．Inspiration and creative solutions. |
| A．Really helpful. | B．Clearly different. |
| C．Negatively related. | D．Potentially dangerous. |
| A．She is stressed over struggles and deadlines. |
| B．She challenges the claim that running improves creativity. |
| C．She is determined to find out why running helps creativity. |
| D．She will keep running in order to help her writing process. |
| A．What I Have Learned From Running |
| B．Running May Fire up the Imagination |
| C．Differences Between Running and Writing |
| D．Science Says Running Is Good for One’s Health |
6. What did the author learn from long-distance running?
7. Why did the author mention Joyce Oates?
8. How does running influence the author’s writing?
6 . It was an accident. I brought a salad to a holiday party and the hostess gave me back the wrong spoon. It looked out of fashion, with a tiny snowflake engraved(刻)on the handle, unclean, nearly dull from use.
My home was lacking in teaspoons since my four-year-old son had a habit of clearing tableware(餐具)into the litter after meals and I lacked money for new spoons. So I held onto the spoon.
My two kids like arguing over everything and anything. I wasn’t happy about telling them to use the snowflake spoon. The moment it hit the placemat(餐具垫), it got a sideways look from my daughter Veronica, then six. “This isn’t ours,” she said.
I held it up like an exhibit. “Listen,” I said. “This is a special spoon. See the magic snowflake? Isn’t it cute?” I placed it in front of her. “I want you to use it.”
Next thing you know, four-year-old Louis asked why he didn’t get the special spoon. After that, the kids had to take turns eating with the special spoon. Years into negotiations over who got to use the special spoon, I finally admitted to the kids: enough already. It’s not actually special. I only said that so you wouldn’t refuse it in favor of our other teaspoons. But I was too late. By then, the snowflake spoon had gained its place in the drawer.
When my family condition improved, I brought home some new spoons. “What are you going to do with the old one?” asked Veronica. “It is special, and you’re not throwing it away,” she said. I felt deeply moved. At that moment, I realized I’ve created words that will bring unforgettable memories for my kids. I created “The Special Spoon”.
(以下是A种题型)
1. What can we learn about the special spoon?
| A．It was new when the author got it. |
| B．It was given to the author by mistake. |
| C．It was intended as a gift for the author. |
| D．It was loved by the daughter at first sight. |
| A．The spoon was refused by Veronica. |
| B．The spoon was thrown into the drawer. |
| C．The kids believed and competed for it. |
| D．The kids thought it was nothing special. |
| A．It was valued by the two kids. |
| B．It was replaced by the new ones. |
| C．It made the author richer and richer. |
| D．It inspired the author to create more spoons. |
| A．The Story 1 Told About the Special Spoon |
| B．Why I Lied to My Kids About the Spoon |
| C．The Most Beautiful Spoon I Have Ever Got |
| D．How I Created a Little Magic for My Family |
(以下是B种题型)
5. Why did the author lack spoons?
6. What was Veronica’s attitude towards the spoon at the beginning?
7. What does the underlined word “negotiations” in paragraph 5 mean in English?
8. What did the Special Spoon bring to the author’s family?
Wildfires are a natural occurrence in forest ecosystem. To some extent, small wildfires can help the forest ecosystem work better by burning unwanted natural fuel, like fallen leaves and branches. Because if natural fuel piles up in forests, it will spark hot, intense and fast-moving fires, which brings more risks of the outbreak of disastrous natural fires.
As researchers study the perfect balance between allowing natural fires to burn and preventing them from threatening human life, some believe sheep offer a better way to retard the fast spread of a wildfire. Cuyama Lamb, an agriculture company, pulls its weight, currently running about 700 sheep that graze(放牧) on the grass. Working with the company, the fire department directs the sheep to the area in most need of natural fuel clearance. Their job is one thing: eat. The space the sheep clear can create a “burn break” that stops a wildfire in its track. The sheep are more efficient and cost-effective than using machines to do the same task, and they can get to places that technology can’t.
Schneider, the founder of the company, hopes the sheep allow Californians to “have a healthy relationship with fires” in the future. “We aren’t going to save the world by grazing a few sheep up on the hillsides, but we can work with others and do something for the world. Doing this, I believe we will have a sustainable future,” she said.
(以下是A种题型)
1. How can wildfires benefit the forest ecosystem?
| A．They provide more natural fuel. |
| B．They contribute to the diversity of plants. |
| C．They keep a balance between human and nature. |
| D．They avoid disastrous fires caused by natural fuel. |
| A．Stimulate. | B．Prevent. | C．Predict. | D．Distinguish. |
| A．To create a firebreak. | B．To replace the fire fighters. |
| C．To improve the local farming. | D．To bring down tree-planting cost. |
| A．How to Protect the Ecosystem | B．How to Fight Against Wildfires |
| C．A Biological Way in Firefighting | D．A Successful Company in Agriculture |
(以下是B种题型)
5. What can cause disastrous natural fires according to paragraph 1?
6. Where are sheep the most useful according to the text?
7. What advantages do sheep have in firefighting?
8. What does “this” refer to in the last paragraph?
8 . Kate Wilson, a 16-year-old girl from England, holds up a book and smiles. “This is Day One of my reading The Little Prince,” she says. Then the video jumps forward. “And now”, she sighs deeply, her face covered with tears, “I end up crying so much that I have to change my shirt”.
This is BookTok, a collection of TikTok book-related videos on the short video platform. It has been an official reading community since April 2020. Bookworms gather on the platform to share their reading experiences by editing a video carefully at the length of less than 3 minutes. They “play”, “read” and “recommend” their favorite books, or recommend treasure writers who have never been discovered. It may sound like a simplified way to talk about books, but the most appealing point is that they can visually record videos to share the feelings of reading moment, and arouse a strong emotion, which written reviews cannot express instantly. So BookTok offers book lovers special reading experiences.
It has also driven a wave of old book sales in the market. A list of bestsellers from 20 years ago has been dug out, which most readers have never heard of. In fact, many of the books like It Ends With Us should not have been forgotten. On Amazon, BookTok is so influential that it has been added into the titles of books themselves. For instance, the novel It Ends With Us: BookTok made me buy it! is now riding high in the top 100. Under its influence, old titles were returning to the bestseller charts. Therefore, BookTok is devoted to bringing these classic books back.
Eventually, a great book finds its faithful readers. Thanks to BookTok, not only can more original works be appreciated, but the authors can attach more importance to literary creation. It is BookTok that offers such books “a second lease of life”.
(以下是A种题型)
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?
| A．The importance of reading. | B．The influence of great books. |
| C．An example of using BookTok. | D．A story of a teenager booklover. |
| A．Users can apply editing skills. |
| B．Bookworms can gather regularly. |
| C．It can give instant book reviews visually. |
| D．Users can share reading experiences freely. |
| A．BookTok is added into their titles. |
| B．Book publishers find a new market. |
| C．They' re recommended by the treasure writers. |
| D．BookTok brings them back to people’s attention. |
| A．Classics Back to Life | B．Young People 's Favorites |
| C．A New Market for BookTok | D．A Platform for Visual Reading |
(以下是B种题型)
5. Where does Kate share her feeling of reading The Little Prince?
6. How do the bookworms share their reading experiences on BookTok?
7. What benefit does BookTok bring to the novel It Ends With Us?
8. Why do we say BookTok offers books “a second lease of life”?
9 . Free solo climbing is a risky form of rock climbing where the climber makes the climb alone without ropes or any other protective things. In June 2017, Alex Honnold completed an ultimate free solo climb up El Capitan, a 3,000-foot wall in Yosemite National Park.
On a freezing November morning in 2016, Alex determined to take up a challenge-a free solo climb of the world’s most famous vertical（垂直的）cliff. Every step, he had to be extra careful to keep the balance. All the time he had to shine his headlamp on the cold, smooth part of stones to decide where he could next place his foot. Unlike parts of the climb higher up that Alex could climb with his strong fingers, this lower part he must manage with a perfect balance of fine skills and confidence.
Every move tied people’s hearts. The cameraman said. “Every time I got no response, I thought Alex was bailing. But it turned out that I was wrong-He was still moving on.”
More physically challenging parts wait for him to climb up with his feel and hands pressing the rock. The Free blast is the most frightening part. In 2016, after several failures, Alex knew he would try again. His foot tap-tap-tapped against the wall as if he was feeling his way into the huge rock, but he wouldn’t turn back this time. And then, he stood on the top and he made it!
People view free soloing differently. Critics regard it as risky, considering the long list of those who’ve died attempting it. Others, myself included, recognize it as the sport's truest expression. Such was the attitude of Austrian climber Paul Preuss, the father of free soloing. He believed that the spirit of mountain-climbing was to master a mountain with wonderful physical and mental skill.
1. Why is the headlamp mentioned in paragraph 2?| A．To prove how dark the environment is. |
| B．To indicate how risky the free soloing is. |
| C．To share the great pleasure of a solo climber. |
| D．To introduce the location of the mountain climber. |
| A．Alex was climbing. |
| B．Alex was giving up. |
| C．Alex was struggling. |
| D．Alex was being saved |
| A．A great dream is limitless. |
| B．Wisdom is better than force. |
| C．Gains can't make up for losses. |
| D．Strong will leads to a smooth path. |
5. What did Alex need to climb the lower part?
6. What does "turn back" mean in paragraph 4?
7. How does Paul Preuss feel about free soloing?
10 . Blue Sheep, native to the Himalayas, lends its name to a small handicraft(手工艺品)store in downtown Chengdu. Rachael Pinniger, a 75-year-old woman from the UK, opened the store offering a wide range of handmade items. All of them are made by people with disabilities or serious diseases in remote areas of China. They are too poor to have their illnesses treated. While many of them are skilled in making traditional crafts, they have no market for their handmade products.
The most important thing is to help these people to be accepted into society. That’s not necessarily something the government can do. Rachael thought, “It’s up to all of us to give them a sense of confidence and self-respect.”
That inspired Rachael to open a store to help these disadvantaged people bring their crafts to the market so that they could make money and receive effective treatment. She spent nearly all of her life savings collecting products from them. Now, belts, wallets, and scarves...various beautifully designed and produced handicrafts can be found at Blue Sheep. More than 700 people have benefited from Rachael’s shop, although she has had to struggle for years to make ends meet in this very limited market. Despite financial pressure, she has continued to extend her market by encouraging her overseas friends to buy the products as home decorations or gifts. She collects feedback(反馈)from customers and gives the craftsmen suggestions on how to improve their products.
As a world traveler, Rachael has no plans for her next destination. At the moment, she will continue to try her best to keep the shop going so that she can help more people get through their hard times. Mother Teresa’s words “I can’t change the world, but I can change the world of one person,” have always been her motto(座右铭). “Anytime we can help one person; it makes life worthwhile, even if it’s not the world.” said Rachael.
（以下是A种题型）
1. What is Rachael’s purpose of opening the store?
| A．To preserve Chinese traditional handicrafts. |
| B．To give customers craft-making experiences. |
| C．To provide help for disadvantaged craftsmen. |
| D．To inspire the people who lack confidence. |
| A．By raising money from volunteers. |
| B．By increasing the price of products. |
| C．By turning to the government for help. |
| D．By seeking help from her overseas friends. |
| A．Proud and delicate. |
| B．Caring and determined. |
| C．Cooperative and humorous. |
| D．Ambitious and professional. |
| A．To bring Mother Teresa into public focus. |
| B．To praise the great minds of Mother Teresa. |
| C．To prove the importance of Rachael’s ability. |
| D．To stress the influence of great people on Rachael. |
（以下是B种题型）
5. What is the name of Rachael’s store?
6. What kind of people did Rachael help?
7. What does the underlined “That” in paragraph 3 refer to?
8. Will Rachael travel to her next destination soon? What’s her current plan?
