2 . I turned 8 years old the day I skipped school for the first time. It was easily done: Both my parents left for work before my school bus arrived on weekdays, so when it showed up at my house on that cold winter morning, I simply did not get on. The perfect crime!
And what did I do with myself on that glorious stolen day, with no adult in charge and no limits on my activities? Did I get high? Hit the mall for a shoplifting extravaganza (狂欢)?
Nope. I built a warm fire in the wood stove, prepared a bowl of popcorn, grabbed a blanket, and read. I was trilled and transported by a book — it was Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises — and I just needed to be alone with it for a little while. I ached to know what would happen to Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley and Robert Cohn. I couldn’t bear the thought of siting in a classroom taking another exam when I could be traveling through Spain in the 1920s with a bunch of expatriates (异乡客).
I spent that day lost in words. Time fell away, as the room around me turned to mist, and my role — as a daughter, sister, teenager, and student — in the world no longer had any meaning. I had accidentally come across the key to perfect happiness: I had become completely absorbed by something I loved.
Looking back on it now, I can see that some subtle things were happening to my mind and to my life while I was in that state of absorption. Hemingway’s language was quietly braiding itself into my imagination. I was downloading information about how to create simple and elegant sentences, a good and solid plot. In other words, I was learning how to write. Without realizing it, I was hot on the trail of my own fate. Writing now absorbs me the way reading once did and happiness is their generous side effect.
1. Why did the author skip school on that day?| A．Because she’s fascinated by a novel. | B．Because it’s a biting cold winter morning. |
| C．Because her parents left home early. | D．Because she’s anxious to take the exam. |
| A．Reading a fiction by the fire. | B．Travelling with a bunch of expatriates. |
| C．Being occupied by one’s passion. | D．Breaking the rules and regulations. |
| A．Mending. | B．Destroying. | C．Entering. | D．Blocking. |
| A．The author was tired of his roles in the real-life. |
| B．Becoming a writer is the author’s childhood dream. |
| C．The author skipped school when he was 8 years old. |
| D．Writing has a horrible effect on the author’s life now. |
3 . When I was in high school, I watched as many of my friends got excited about applying to universities, eagerly waited for the results, and happily shared which four-year university they were going to attend.
I never experienced anything like that, because I was going to a community college, a place I’ve
I
I got all of my units done quickly and was able to graduate a term earlier, which
| A．dreamed of | B．heard of | C．stopped by | D．worked out |
| A．successful | B．responsible | C．confident | D．independent |
| A．therefore | B．instead | C．however | D．besides |
| A．assumed | B．studied | C．spoke | D．read |
| A．well-behaved | B．newly-built | C．highly-developed | D．small-sized |
| A．jobs | B．approaches | C．advice | D．data |
| A．opportunities | B．attempts | C．choices | D．services |
| A．active | B．expert | C．interested | D．weak |
| A．stressed | B．nervous | C．excited | D．regretful |
| A．support | B．expectation | C．spirit | D．belief |
| A．gave | B．saved | C．cost | D．wasted |
| A．surprised | B．thankful | C．fortunate | D．relaxed |
| A．formal | B．special | C．poor | D．strong |
| A．never | B．almost | C．hardly | D．fully |
| A．toughest | B．happiest | C．best | D．luckiest |
| A. so the villagers treated him as one of them. B. and they became more confident in learning. C. and helped the villagers sell local products online. D. even though it may not be what others expected of him. E. and he was inspired by them to go and teach where he was needed the most. F. but he quickly gave up on the idea and found ways to deal with the challenges. G. and they enjoy playing football in the playground, as well as singing songs. |
2. The thought of leaving once flashed through his mind,
3. He felt satisfied that his students were able to read, speak and write in English,
4. He feels so happy that he followed his heart when choosing what to do with his life,
5. He contacted charity organisations about rebuilding the playground and setting up a library,
Long-distance running is a great sport for beginners. It has a lot of benefits. It will help you get fit and prevent diseases.
If you are new to running, here is some advice for you. It is important to warm up and cool down properly before and after running, so you do not hurt yourself.
| A．But you need to find someone to keep running with you. |
| B．It will also hurt you if you don't warm up before running. |
| C．A warm-up gets your blood flowing and prepares your body before you exercise. |
| D．It also strengthens your immune system and reduces the risk of serious health problems. |
Just a few seconds later, fourth-placed Navarro caught up with him. Surely, he could simply overtake Esteban and come third. But Navarro slowed down and let Esteban run ahead of him. The two cyclists reached the finishing line with Esteban ahead on foot, Navarro just behind him. Navarro had let Esteban finish in third place, while he came fourth. The audience was amazed at his show of sportsmanship and cheered and clapped for the cyclists. After the race, Navarro said, “I didn’t want to win that way.” Later, Esteban, who won the bronze medal, tried to give his medal to Navarro. However, Navarro refused, and his response was: “Offering me the prize was worth more than what I did for him.”
Why did Navarro refuse Esteban’s medal? What did this gesture show?
7 . Although stress over test taking, handing in homework and balancing school and a social life is nothing new to Richard Montgomery students, online learning has introduced a whole new idea of what a stressful school day feels like. Without face-to-face communication, many students have found themselves needing to work out new ways to cope with their stress.
Junior Rayan Ouattara is a basketball player at RM and is feeling the stress of missing this year’s season. In order to relieve stress, he enjoys doing outdoor activities. “Every time I need to relax or think of something other than school. I like to pick up the ball and make a shot.” said Ouattara.
Whether it is your first year in high school or your last, it’s difficult to be missing out on the experience. Senior Kyle Dexter is experiencing these hard times first hand. “It has definitely been stressful to think that last December could have been my last days on campus and I won’t get to have another year to do all the things I wanted to... I have been doing late night walks while listening to music to help.” said Dexter, when asked what has stressed him out about missing his senior year and how he is coping.
While Dexter is sharing his experience of his senior year, Jordyn Kolchins in her first year of high school has lots to say about her new life. “It’s been really stressful, especially because the work schedule is a lot heavier than in middle school and being online has been pretty crazy... I really like doing coloring books. They are really good for destressing.”
Although students from all different grades have expressed their fears about this school year, their futures, and high stress levels, it’s important to remember that there are ways to deal with these difficult times and remember that everyone is going through this together. This may mean taking your mind off some things for a momcnt and finding new ways to do the activities you love, even if you haven’t discovered quite how yet.
1. What is a new cause of Richard Montgomery students’ stress?| A．Shorter study time. | B．New tests. |
| C．Too many school activities. | D．Online learning. |
| A．He’s in his last school year | B．He wants to leave school soon. |
| C．He is crazy about listening to music. | D．He graduated from high school last year. |
| A．Living an unhealthy life. | B．Balancing life and work. |
| C．Learning drawing online. | D．Adapting to high school online. |
