Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus (马戏团) . Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter (柜台).
This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of twelve. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money.
Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly talking about the clowns. elephants, and other acts they would see that night with their brothers or sisters in a low voice.
One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You are my knight (骑士) in shining armor (盔甲).”
He was smiling and responding in pride, looking back at her as if to say, “You got that right” . The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight child tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”
The ticket lady gave the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, and his lips began to shake. The father leaned (倾斜) a little closer and asked. “How much do you say?”
The ticket lady again quoted (报价) the price. The man didn’t have enough money.
How was he supposed to turn around and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?
Actually we were not wealthy in any sense. So I understand how the kids would feel. I felt sorry for them.
注意：续写词数应为80左右。Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That day my father and I went back to our car and drove home without any tickets.
2 . When I was 12 years old, I already knew that my teen years were going to be the worst years of my life. I was a total outsider, bullied (欺凌) at school. I felt completely alone in my small town.
But by starting to do volunteer work when I was 14, I turned my problem into a passion for helping others. The opportunity to practice kindness made me feel like my life had a greater purpose. The more positive energy I shared, the more kindness and appreciation I received. I realized that my purpose in life would be to reach out to people, specifically teenagers, and help them feel less alone.
Books were my true friends back then. I was so thankful that the authors wrote those books. The kindness they offered me with their books saved my life. One of my biggest dreams was to become an author so I could write books that would help other teenagers the way those books helped me.
After surviving terrible experiences at school and at home, I made a choice to take the optimistic, positive road in the next steps of my journey. My dream career, one I thought was only possible for the authors I loved, is what I am doing now. I have been a full-time author of teen novels since 2007 and am grateful for this amazing opportunity to reach out to readers every single day.
Kindness saved me when I needed help the most. Even small acts of kindness can change someone’s life. You never know what someone else is going through. But by practicing daily kindness, you become an architect of positive change.
1. What was the author’s life like when he was 12?| A．Boring. | B．Peaceful. | C．Painful. | D．Meaningful. |
| A．It made him popular in his town. | B．It helped him find the meaning of life. |
| C．It helped him understand others’ lives better. | D．It helped to shape his dream career. |
| A．He was inspired by his teacher. | B．He could pass positive energy to readers. |
| C．He wanted to share his school experiences. | D．He found he had a talent for writing. |
| A．Say “no” to bullies bravely. | B．Make positive changes in their lives. |
| C．Treat others with kindness in daily life. | D．Learn to care more about others’ feelings. |
3 . An earthquake can strike without warning. But many injuries and deaths from this kind of natural disaster can be prevented if people follow these safety tips.
If you’re inside a building, stay there! One of the most dangerous things to do in an earthquake is to try to leave a building.
If you are trapped in the ruins, cover your mouth with a handkerchief or a piece of clothing. Use your cellphone to call for help if possible. Don’t shout.
Be prepared for aftershocks
| A．Don’t move about or kick up dost. |
| B．If you’re outside, go to an open space. |
| C．Shouting can cause you to breathe in dust. |
| D．Don’t park your car under a tree or any tall object. |
| E．Take a good hold of your cellphone in the building. |
| F．They can happen in the first hours after the earthquake. |
| G．Most injuries happen when people inside buildings try to get out. |
4 . Winter is often quite cold, which often makes us stay indoors more instead of heading out to exercise. Worse still, there are many viruses(病毒) doing their best to make you sick. And sneezing, coughing and nose blowing make the rooms a habitat for viruses.
Wash your hands. You pick up viruses everywhere and they live on your hands, so wash your hands and do it often.
Get the flu shot(疫苗).
Avoid sick people.
| A．It is easy for viruses to spread from person to person |
| B．Take care of your face |
| C．It’s not absolutely safe |
| D．Keep your hands away from your face |
| E．If someone around you is sick, then keep your distance |
| F．The best way is to use regular soap and water |
| G．Because there are always some unexpected things in life |
A Bowl of Noodles
Jenny was the only child in her home. She had a quarrel with her mother that afternoon and she ran out of the house angrily. She couldn’t help crying sadly when she thought of he scolding from her mother. Having wandered aimlessly in the street for hours, she felt a little hungry and wished for something to eat, but it was not even possible for her, since she had nothing with her. She stood beside a stand for a while, watching the middle-aged seller busy doing his business. However, with no money in hand, she sighed and had to leave.
The seller behind the stand noticed the young girl and asked, “Hey, girl, you want to have the noodles?”
“Oh, yes... but I don’t have money on me...” she replied.
“That’s nothing. I’ll treat you today,” said the man,
“Come in.”
The seller brought her a bowl of noodles, whose smell was so attractive. Jenny thanked the man and started to gobblle (狼吞虎咽) up the delicious food...then cried silently.
“What is it?” asked the man kindly.
“Nothing, actually I was moved by your kindness!” said Jenny as she wiped her tears, “Even a stranger on the street will give me a bowl of noodles, while my mother drove me out of the house. She showed no care for me. She is so mean and cruel!”
Hearing the words, the seller smiled “Girl, do you really think so? I only gave you a bowl of noodles and you thanked me a lot. But it is your mother who has raised you since you were a baby. Can you number the times that she has cooked for you? Have you expressed your thanks to her?”
Jenny sat there, speechless and numb with shock; she remembered her mother’s familiar face and weathered hands. “Why did I not think of that? A bowl of noodles from a stranger made me feel grateful, but I have never thanked my mum for what she has done for me.”
On the way home, Jenny made up her mind to make an apology to her mother for her rudeness as soon as she arrived home.
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:
Approaching the doorway, Jenny took a deep breath.
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Her mother came back home, which called her mind back.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In 1989, fresh out of high school, I had the difficult task of choosing a career path before college started in three months. In those days in Pakistan, there were limited choices: becoming a doctor or an engineer, or entering the financial world after getting a business degree. I wasn’t interested in engineering, so that I was left with medicine or business. I couldn’t decide.
My uncle suggested that I do a work placement(实习) to experience it for a month in an international company followed by a month in a hospital. After that, I could make a decision. It seemed like a good idea.
I was accepted for a month’s placement at a foreign bank in Karachi. I got a feel of how the world of finance functioned, made new friends, and generally enjoyed the mostly easygoing work surroundings.
The month passed rapidly, and soon I began working at a leading hospital in Karachi. The experience couldn’t have been more different. The hospital had a stressful environment. The days started early (at 7 am, compared to 9 am at the bank), and were filled with endless duties. And the night calls! This was crazy, working all day, through the night, and again the next day.
I began thinking about my two experiences. The bank had offered a more relaxing atmosphere, better working hours and less stress. The hospital was full of excitement, but studying and training were difficult. It seemed that the business choice was going to win out.
Near the end of my month at the hospital, I was driving home after an especially busy night call. In front of me was a public bus, with college students sitting on the top. As the driver weaved through (穿梭) traffic, I could see the boys shaking from side to side.
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2．至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4．续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1：
Suddenly, a boy fell off the back of the bus.
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Paragraph 2：
The next day, when I went to the hospital to see the boy, all his family got up, with grateful smiles on their faces.
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7 . A new APP uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tell you what your pet is thinking. It’s called Happy Pets and it analyses an animal’s facial features, tells you what breed(血统) it is and indicates which of the five most common animal emotions—happy, angry, neutral, sad and scared.
The Happy Pets app uses AI, or machine learning. It’s a technology that’s used for vision in robotics and self-driving cars and it works by taking in images and assigning importance to them. One common use for AI is in facial recognition technology. Many of us can unlock our mobile phones with an image of our face and it’s important part of security processes in, for instance, airports.
But this is the first time this kind of technology has been used for animals. It then had to learn to recognize facial features. This is sophisticated because photos can be taken in so many different ways: from the side, above, below, in bright light. And different animals can have such different facial features. Think about how different the noses of a border collie(边境牧羊犬) and bulldog are, for instance. Once the AI behind Happy Pets had learned all this, it then had to be able to detect emotions based on specific facial features that are associated with each emotion, which it has learned from thousands of examples. For instance, if a dog tightens its eyes and mouth while changing the position of its ears in a particular way, it’s a sign of being scared.
In an online article for Melbourne University’s Pursuit, the researchers write they’re happy with how the app performs. The researchers would love feedback about how they could develop the app further.
1. Which of the following may go beyond Happy Pets’ function?| A．Learning the kinds of pets. |
| B．Showing pets’ main feelings. |
| C．Teaching pets’ facial recognition. |
| D．Analyzing the pets’ facial features. |
| A．The robot’s eye. | B．A security system. |
| C．The vision of self driving. | D．A machine learning system. |
| A．Typical. | B．Complex. | C．Scientific. | D．Traditional. |
| A．Because faces can definitely show animals feelings. |
| B．Because it wants to have emotions of humans. |
| C．Because it enables Happy Pets to detect emotions based on specific facial features. |
| D．Because the types of animals are based on the looks. |
Karie double-checked the words on her spelling test .If she got 100 percent today, she’d win her class’ First-Quarter Spelling Challenge and a brand new dictionary.
Three more words to go. N-i-c-e-l-y. Q-u-i-c-k-1-y. H-o-n-e-s-t-y. Wait! She had spelled honesty, not honestly. She hurriedly erased the t-y and wrote l-y before handing in her paper.
Ms. McCormack graded the test papers at the break. Meanwhile, Karie sat restlessly in her seat with her fingers crossed. Then, Ms. McCormack walked to the front of the room and cleared her throat, “Congratulations. Karie! You did it!” she announced.
The whole class burst into applause! Ms McCormack presented Karie with her prize. Karie grinned as she read the label on the box: To Karie Carter; for her perfect first-quarter score in spelling.
“Everything OK?” Mom asked as Karie burst through the front door after school. Karie didn’t answer. As if by magic, she took out her spelling test paper and prize and showed them to her mother, Mom hugged her, asking her to put the test paper on the fridge so that Dad could see it when he got home.
Karie took another look at the test paper before putting it on the fridge. Her hands stopped in the midair. She just couldn’t believe her own eyes. Honesly? YES! H-O-N-E-S-L-Y.
Mom sensed something unusual and asked why. Karie stuffed the test paper into her backpack and explained that she was just too excited. Mom brought her some tea. Yes, a “t” was exactly what she needed.
After drinking a little, Karie plodded(重步走) down the hall, lost in thought How could she tell the class she hadn’t earned the prize after all?
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。
Later Dad came in with excitement.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The next morning, Karie went to school earlier than usual.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The bell rang, announcing the end of the vivid art class Karson loved most. He was delighted that he had created a very satisfying work. So he walked to the back of the classroom to put his work away carefully. There, lying on the carpet in front of the classroom bookcase, was a golden ticket! Karson picked it up. His heat beat faster when he saw that the name line was blank. He couldn’t believe his luck!
The boys and girls in Karson’s class could earn golden tickets by doing well in their study or by being extra helpful or kind. Once a week their teacher drew a ticket out of a box on her desk and let the winner choose a prize.
Today was the golden ticket drawing, and here was another ticket, just for him! Karson looked around. No one else was near the ticket. All his classmates were at their desks, laughing and talking with each other. Miss Evans was engaged in grading the papers collected early in the morning.
Karson decided to write his name on the blank line. Then he could put it into the prize box with the six tickets he’d already earned. With so many chances, one of his tickets would most probably be picked! Then he could choose the pink toy pig for his sister’s birthday, just like he had been hoping.
He smiled and reached for the pencil in his pocket. Suddenly his fingers stopped. There was a strange feeling in his chest, and it wasn’t his heartbeat. “It’s ‘finders keepers’, right?” he wondered. He looked out of the window and tried to figure it out. On the one hand, he did find the ticket, but he hadn’t earned it. Somebody must have lost it. But on the other hand, he did need tis extra ticket for his great plan!
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:
Karson stared at the blank name line for a moment.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
“Karson, I’d like you to have another ticket!” said Miss Evans.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was an art lesson. Rachel sat at the desk watching her classmates busy preparing the water jars and paints. She understood why Mrs. Weston asked her to sit down and got Lisa to fetch everything for her. It was always a disaster when Rachel tried to do art!
Rachel sighed and reached out to dip her brush in some black paint and—oh, no! She knocked over the jar. The water spread across the desk and drowned the paper. Lisa called Mrs. Weston to see what Rachel had done. Rachel went red in the face. She jumped to her feet to get a cloth. Her chair fell over backwards. She turned round and her paintbrush caught Lisa across the face, giving her a black moustache. Lisa was so surprised that she fell back against a wire bookstand. It came crashing down and the books went all over the floor.
How clumsy (笨拙的)! Rachel thought as she went home on the bus. The bus stopped outside her house. She jumped up and her elbow (肘部) knocked a woman’s hat right over her eyes. Oh, no! Rachel said sorry, got off and ran indoors. Mum wasn’t in the kitchen but lay in bed as she caught an awful cold. Rachel offered to make a cup of tea but Mum would rather wait for Dad. Rachel sighed. She understood Mum was afraid that she would spill (溅出) it.
“But would you go to Mrs. Willow for some cold medicine?” asked Mum. Rachel turned to the door at once. “But Mrs. Willow’s house is full of beautiful things, so if she asks you to come in, you’d better say no.” Rachel sighed and ran out.
Mrs. Willow was an old lady with white hair and sharp blue eyes living in an old house. She opened the door and invited her in. Rachel said why she came and that she preferred to wait outside remembering her mother’s warning. Mrs. Willow insisted Rachel come inside. Rachel took a deep breath and stepped in. She looked round Mrs. Willow’s sitting room and saw at once why Mum had been worried.
Paragraph 1:There were beautiful things everywhere — pretty vases and pots.
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With a smile, Mrs. Willow comforted her saying it had been broken before.
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