1 . Travelling seemed like falsehood to me. I grew tired of backpackers expressing too much praise about how petting a baby elephant in Thailand “transformed” them. Globe-traveling to me held no more promise than finding a few bills in the pocket of an old coat. I needed something deeper than an Eat, Play, Love moment.

One day, Vasilis, my Greek best friend, reminded me of our decade-old promise: after our final exams, I would visit his hometown in Athens. Maybe, it was time to make good on that promise.

I finally boarded the plane. Vasilis picked me up at the airport. I smiled, thinking how improbable this moment seemed all those years ago.

The decade-long wait proved to be well worth it. Every step through the ancient streets revealed new wonders. However, none of them truly mattered. What would forever alter my perception of travel was a chance encounter with a local.

Vasilis and I were wandering Athens when a special sound caught our attention — a rhythmic clinking disturbing the quietness of the residential street. Curiously, we followed the sound to a humble workshop. Inside, a welder (焊工) gave no mind to our presence behind him. He wore no flashy protective suit — this was just another day for him, another dance with fire and metal that had become second nature. Under the sunshade, his orange cat rested in the comforting warmth...

As the man continued welding, I felt a bit of envy. I envied his peace and contentment. I admired the simplicity he embodied. I imagined the welder happy, finding fulfillment in his craft (手艺) and returning to his loving family...The moment moved me to tears. Leaving the workshop, rain blending with tears, I realized how easily life’s poetry could pass unnoticed.

Home again in Montreal, I stop simply pursuing better things, better experiences and better people that are never grasped. I realize the real journey is inward — to appreciate life’s ordinary magic. That sure beats petting any baby elephant. I may not have returned home “transformed,” but I’ll always think of the welder and his cat.

1. Which aspect of travelling makes the author feel uneasy?

A．Shortage of adequate funds.	B．Discomfort in dietary habits.
C．Overstatement of travel’s effects.	D．Danger of petting baby animals.

2. What drove the author to go to Athens?

A．Meeting a commitment.	B．Exploring a unique landscape.
C．Receiving further education.	D．Escaping from the current life.

3. What does the underlined word “poetry” in paragraph 6 probably refer to?

A．Poems written by masters.	B．Peace and simplicity.
C．Spirit of craftsmanship.	D．Special sound in the street.

4. Which of the following can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Friendship Lasts Forever	B．Travelling Shapes a Better Self
C．Pursuit of Happiness Never Stops	D．The Ordinary Makes Extraordinary

2 . We went deep into the earth through dark, narrow caves. When I got used to the light, I stood amazed.

A vast lake or even an ocean, spread far beyond where the eye could see. The shore was lined with shining sand, being softly lapped by waves. It was covered with small shells once inhabited by the first living beings. Around this sea stood a huge rock wall being worn away by the endless action of the waves.

I could see far over this great sea because it was being lit up by a strange light. Not sunlight, of course, as we were deep below the surface. Under the “sky”, if it could be called so, being made of rock, were also vast clouds. The light gave no heat, so the place felt rather gloomy (幽暗的). We were shut up inside a vast cave which must have been several miles high.

My imagination was powerless before such wonders. I felt like I was on some distant planet, and was both amazed and rather scared. However, I was energetic by the breezy salty air supplying more oxygen to my lungs. After many days in much narrower spaces, it was a great relief.

We began to walk following the shore. Soon in front of us appeared a tall, dense forest, composed of trees formed like umbrellas. “Mushrooms!” said my uncle. And he was right! There were mushrooms in their thousands, and each at least thirty feet high.

“Now look under your feet!” cried my uncle and I noticed many bones being crushed under our feet as we walked. Might some monsters still roam (漫步) through these gloomy forests? I anxiously surveyed the landscape, but we were the only living creatures here. Thankfully!

Eventually we returned to the cave we had entered from, and I fell asleep with strange thoughts.

— Journey to the centre of the earth

1. What does the underlined word “lapped” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Caught in.

B．Sought for.

C．Sheltered from.

D．Beaten against.

2. Which words can best describe the scene in the author’s eyes?

A．Huge, strange and amazing.	B．Sunny, windy and wonderful.
C．Salty, narrow and comforting.	D．Cloudy, gloomy and embarrassing.

3. What was found on the shore?

A．A high and thick forest composed of tree-shaped umbrellas.

B．Lots of bones belonging to monsters that might have disappeared.

C．Thousands of mushrooms measuring no more than thirty feet high.

D．A couple of roaming creatures living in the gloomy and distant planet.

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．The author kept awake in the cave they had entered from.

B．The author thought it strange that he fell asleep in such a cave.

C．The author enjoyed the experience though he felt scared sometimes.

D．The author encountered with a monster before he returned to the cave.

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. When did Aelita Andre begin to learn painting?

A．At 10 years old.

B．At 12 months.

C．At 9 months.

2. What was the highest price of Aelita Andre’s work?

A．$4,000.

B．$10,000.

C．$14,000.

3. What was Aelita Andre’s achievement in 2020?

A．She drew a painting of Jackson Pollock.

B．She won Global Child Prodigy Awards.

C．She had her own exhibition in Manhattan.

4. Why does the speaker give the talk?

A．To introduce a truly talented artist.

B．To show her concerns about Aelita Andre.

C．To illustrate the value of abstract paintings.

6 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

The man was kind of small, but to a five-year-old, he was a giant. Cherry-scented smoke from Grandpa’s pipe kept the hungry mosquitoes at bay. Now and again, he blew a smoke ring and laughed as I tried to target the hole with my finger.

We sat side by side on the old wooden stairs that hot summer evening, watching the traffic, counting cars and trying to guess the color of the next one to turn the corner. We watched the sun go down behind the old Texaco service station across the busy street, which I was never allowed to cross unless accompanied by an adult.

My grandfather was baby-sitting while my mother, father and grandmother went out. While my two baby brothers slept inside the house, my three older siblings (兄弟姐妹) played with friends around the corner, where I was not allowed to go. I stayed with Grandpa, and that was okay with me. “Thirsty?” Grandpa asked, never removing the pipe from his mouth. “Yes,” was my reply. “How would you like to run over to the gas station there and get yourself a bottle of Coke?” I couldn’t believe my ears. On my family’s modest income, Coke was not a part of our budget or diet. “Okay,” I replied shyly, already wondering how I would get across the street.

He stretched his long leg out straight and reached his huge hand deep into the pocket. Opening his fist, he exposed several silver coins. He instructed me to pick out one. After he deposited the rest of the change back into his pocket, he stood up. “Okay,” he said, helping me down the stairs and to the curb (马路沿儿).

“I’m going to stay here and keep an ear out for the babies. I’ll tell you when it’s safe to cross. You go over to the Coke machine, get your Coke out and come back. Wait for me to tell you when it’s safe to cross back.” My heart pounded. Excitement took my breath away.

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。

Grandpa held my hand tightly.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My heart pounded wildly as I approached the Coke machine.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . I grew up in a three-bedroom brick house in the Park Hill section of North Little Rock, Ark. It was a sweet, ordinary little home but reminded me of so much love.

I’ve always felt I was raised by a beautiful fairy. My mom, Nellie, was soft-spoken and had an extraordinary smile. My father, Maurice, was a train conductor and his declining health was the most defining aspect of my childhood. When I was 8, the doctors told us that Dad had a severe heart condition and we needed to care for him. I developed magical thinking, which was vital to my later acting. I’d say to myself that if I did this and that, my daddy would live.

After high school, I attended Hendrix College in Arkansas. When I was a freshman, they cast me in a school’s big play. At the end, one of the drama professors said, “You don’t really belong here. You belong in New York. They’d know what to do with you.” He gave me a list of schools. He pointed to the Neighborhood Playhouse and said it was small but Sandy Meisner, the man who ran it was great. I auditioned (试镜) and a month later, I was accepted. Mom and I started crying.

After moving to New York, my big break came six years later, in 1977. I took a meeting about a movie called “Goin’ South,” with Jack Nicholson. After the audition, they said I wasn’t quite right. Back in reception, I wanted to apologize for being stubborn. Jack was standing there. He said, “Are you waiting to see me?” I told him I was but I didn’t have a script. He gave me one and told me I’d have 10 minutes with him the next day. I made it to a screen test in L. A. Later, I was in Jack’s office and asked if someone could approve my hotel expenses. Jack was smoking a cigar. He said, “Don’t worry about it, kid. You’ re on the payroll.”

Today, my husband, actor Ted Danson, and I spend most of our time in Ojai, Calif. I also love the wildness of the mountains. I still own my childhood home in Arkansas. I haven’t been able to part with it. Emotionally, the love from our parents is still there.

1. What motivated the author to develop her ability to acting?

A．Her family’s poor housing.	B．Her father’s serious disease.
C．Her mother’s gift for acting.	D．Her confidence in learning subjects.

2. What can be inferred from paragraph 3?

A．Her mother refused her to become an actress.

B．Her performance was common in high school.

C．She was declined by manager Sandy Meisner.

D．She was highly praised by the drama professor.

3. How did Jack feel to the author’s performance in the screen test?

A．Indifferent.

B．Critic.

C．Impressive.

D．Neutral.

4. Why does the author mention her childhood home in the last paragraph?

A．To prove the excellent environment she lives.

B．To stress the beautiful scenery of her hometown.

C．To show her gratitude to her beloved parents.

D．To attract more people to enjoy the mountains.

9 . Sau Hoyin, a 16-year-old student at Hong Kong International School, has devoted the past seven years to writing fiction. He has already published two novels, and a third is on the way. Sau’s journey as a writer began in the 4th grade when he started a school “passion project”, leading him to create his first novel Pym. This story follows Luke Connors, an ordinary boy who grew into a brave fighter against evil.

Sau’s fiction evolved with his own personal growth. At the age of 13, he created Pyro 2. a story when Connors faces challenges that mirror Sau’s struggles with math. “I tried to overcome these challenges on my own at first hut finally found that I need to seek the aid of others,” he said. In the novel, Connors learns that in moments of great challenges. seeking help from those around him is a test ament (证明) to growth. Currently, Sau is working on Pyro 3, a project enriched by his global travels and diverse cultural experiences. “I treat writing as a way to record my life and express myself. It also helps me to think deeply about various issues,” he said.

Sau spends two to three hours on weekends on his writing and around two hours daily during breaks. To practice his skills, Sau also joined a literary club at school, exchanging insights into his fiction with his peers.

“In arts and literature class, our teacher also nurtures (培养) our creativity by teaching creative poetry.” Sau added. For instance, inspired by the English language poem Show With Buddha he learned in class, he wrote Playing Saxophone With the Statue of Liberty in d imagined the statue dropped her torch or a moment, playing jour while thinking about whether the truths of American liberty are really held or not.

Sau also shares his essays and poetry on his personal website and takes part in writing competitions. This summer, he won the Harbinger Prize awarded by Harbingers’Magazine, a weekly journal in the US.

Next year, Sau will start university and is resolute in his decision to major in literature. “For me, literature is a utopia (乌托邦) where I can not only express myself but also enjoy the beauty of language, its purity and its lasting power.” he said.

1. What drove Sau Hoyin to take up writing?

A．A special school program.	B．An unforgettable journey.
C．His teacher’s encouragement.	D．His childhood’s experience.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 2?

A．Sau is unwilling to learn Math at school.	B．Sau’s works are related to his own experience.
C．Sau is a very productive writer from an early age.	D．Sau is faced with many difficulties in writing novels.

3. Which of the following can best describe Sau?

A．Clever and humorous.	B．Talented and cautious.
C．Hardworking and creative.	D．Curious and emotional.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Sau Hoyin: Words of Growth & Adventure

B．Luke Connors: A Brave Fighter against Evil

C．A Teen Writer’s Dream: Sau Hoyin’s Quest for Fame

D．A Popular Blogger’s Rise: Luke Connor’s Journey to Success