Friends play a very important part in everyone’s life. Friendship
Some people call you their friends for the wrong reasons. These people are not really friends. They are superficial (表面的) only “friends”on the outside, not the inside where it counts. Superficial friends only want to be your friends if is to their advantage. True friends are there if you are rich or poor.
True friends are most special. They are also difficult
2 . Kilimanjaro Climb : a Rite of Passage (成人仪式) for Father and Son
Climbing Kilimanjaro is a transformational experience for many people. The things that make the mountain hard are the very things that make it so powerful. In the case of my son Josh and I, the walk up Kilimanjaro proved a powerful symbol of his transition into manhood, and a great change in our relationship.
Day three on the mountain, Josh was hit with massive headaches. He told me every step felt like a nail driving into his head. And then, on the night we climbed the crater (火山口) rim, less than 40 minutes from the summit, Josh fell. I was walking ahead, and did not even see it. He was so tired out that he could not get up. He recalled our guides, debating whether or not they should take him straight down. Josh snapped out of it. He forced himself to his feet, shook the guides off. He set his face towards the peak and just kept marching. Near the summit he caught up with me and we reached the peak together.
“I’ve never been in so much pain and so happy at the same time... he said, as we sat side by side on the frozen rock and looked down over Africa. “You know, in the past when we’d go on camping and rafting trips, you guided and took care of me through it all. But on Kilimanjaro it was different. From the bottom up, I climbed it. I never felt like a kid, even when 1 was in pain. You never acted like a parent.”
“That’s not quite true,” I replied. “When you told me that on the summit you fell and I did not even notice, my first thought was, ‘Oh my God! I’m such an awful parent!’ But then it hit me, ‘He got himself up. He walked to the peak on his own. He didn’t need me to help,”
I realized as I spoke that two people had died that night on Kilimanjaro. A child and a parent. It was just two friends who walked down the mountain together.
1. From the second paragraph we know that ______.| A．Josh had a slight headache. |
| B．Josh reached the top of the mountain with the help of the guides. |
| C．Josh overcame various difficulties on his way to the summit. |
| D．Climbing Kilimanjaro was too hard for such a child as Josh. |
| A．Cheered up. | B．Gave up. | C．Burst out. | D．Ran out. |
| A．Josh felt quite good about his independence. |
| B．Josh appreciated his parents’ company and care. |
| C．The father felt guilty all the time. |
| D．The father should have taken good care of Josh as usual. |
| A．Because two people had lost their lives while climbing Kilimanjaro. |
| B．Because the father and son had become friends. |
| C．Because they had witnessed an accident of a father and son. |
| D．Because two friends had misled him. |
1. Who is the woman?
| A．A reporter. | B．An author. | C．A TV hostess. |
| A．At two years old. | B．At three years old. | C．At four years old. |
| A．Ann. | B．Jenny. | C．Helen. |
| A．She was very shy. |
| B．She was noisy and naughty. |
| C．She was quite interested in her studies. |
4 . Who are your friends? Are they all similar in age to you?
Having older friends can change your attitude towards life because they have already gone through the challenges you are facing. They have been young parents, have survived a job loss, and can help you get through these changes in your own life.
When older people make friends with younger people, they get to share their experiences which can be very rewarding.
All in all making friends with people not your age can open your eyes to new ideas and new experiences that can be life-changing.
| A．For human beings, giving is good. |
| B．Where to find friends sharing a common interest? |
| C．Then how can you make intergenerational friends? |
| D．Having friends at your own age is natural, of course. |
| E．What’s more, younger friends can give you some fresh ideas. |
| F．It’s believed that joining in activities like volunteering is also an effective way. |
| G．An older friend also helps you “try on” certain life experiences before you get there. |
5 . I still remember that day clearly. I zipped past(快速闪过) my father cleaning the table. Seconds later, I zipped past him again. Minutes later, I was
“You are too
When I am writing non-stop, trying to
Actually, the
| A．politely | B．proudly | C．quickly | D．calmly |
| A．journey | B．call | C．report | D．game |
| A．excited | B．disappointed | C．strange | D．busy |
| A．come over | B．slowdown | C．give up | D．breakout |
| A．clever | B．upset | C．right | D．puzzled |
| A．refusing | B．annoying | C．observing | D．ignoring |
| A．purposes | B．promises | C．roles | D．tasks |
| A．wait | B．work | C．exist | D．continue |
| A．chance | B．rule | C．favorite | D．choice |
| A．as for | B．instead of | C．except for | D．because of |
| A．finish | B．find | C．keep | D．paint |
| A．lists | B．plans | C．habits | D．points |
| A．believe | B．love | C．respect | D．honor |
| A．customer | B．teacher | C．partner | D．neighbor |
| A．affords | B．means | C．explains | D．talks |
6 . Good friendship can get people through almost anything. Many times, a good friend will know what you need before you even ask for it, and they’ll want to offer a helping hand. That’s what happened to two friends in Caddo Hills High School. When one differently abled young man needed help, his friend went above and beyond.
When Brandon and Tanner met, Brandon was using a hand-push wheelchair. The chair was becoming kind of a pain for Brandon as he had to push his way down the halls from class to class around Caddo Hills High School. “My arms would get really tired and I would have to stop and take rests,” said Brandon.
Sometimes when they were together, Brandon would ask Tanner to push his wheelchair. Tanner was happy to help. Most often, Tanner would offer to help and he noticed how hard using this wheelchair was on his friend. Tanner thought that if his friend had had an electric wheelchair, life would be easier for him. But Brandon’s family was unable to afford it. Seeing how much his friend struggled in his wheelchair, Tanner made up his mind to do something about it. “He’s just been a really good friend and I wanted to do him a favor. I just felt like I needed to do it and I wanted to do it,” Tanner explained.
Then the enthusiastic(热心的)high school student became devoted to getting his friend a wheelchair. He got an after-school job at an auto repair shop and he worked there every afternoon. In order to help his friend out, Tanner worked part-time for two years. All of the money he earned went towards saving for a self-powered wheelchair. That moment finally came in late February, when he would present Brandon with a life-changing gift during the school day.
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。
At the beginning, Tanner had planned on giving Brandon all the money he had saved.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Brandon cried when he first got the wheelchair.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Leap
Once a twelve-year-old boy was traveling around the world by sea. His father was the captain of the ship. Now, the ship was sailing home at last. It was a pleasant day. All the passengers were on the deck(甲板).
A monkey was making funny faces at the passengers. It became funnier as more passengers came closer, enjoying its tricks. Suddenly the monkey ran towards the captain’s son and took his hat. It then put the hat on its own head. Soon after that, it climbed up the tall pole with two crossbeams(横梁)that supported the sails(帆) on the ship.
Everyone laughed, but the boy was not sure whether to laugh or cry. It had come as a surprise. The monkey sat on the first crossbeam of the pole, took off the hat and began to tear it.
The hat was too important for the boy. So he shouted with extreme anger, “You terrible creature! Return my hat or you are going to pay for it.” He went after the monkey on the pole, which continued to climb higher.
“I am not going to forgive you,” the boy shouted, as he climbed higher and higher. After a while, the monkey stretched itself to its full length and hung what remained of the hat on the end of the second crossbeam. Then it climbed to the very tip of the pole and sat there, making fun of the boy.
The distance from the pole to the end of the crossbeam, where the hat was, was about two meters. To reach the hat, the boy had to let go of the pole. Everyone froze with fear when they saw the boy had stepped onto the crossbeam without support. One wrong step, and he would fall hard to the board of the ship, which would lead to death. The only solution was to jump into the water. However, the boy didn’t realize the danger, as his mind was focused only on getting the hat.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Just then the captain came on deck.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Seeing his son wet but alive, the captain breathed a sigh of relief.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 . Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.
“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”
Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits. (轨迹)
Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent-child activities, from shopping to sports, involve (包含) a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue into adulthood.
No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”
But family experts warn that the new equality (平等) can also result in less respect for parents. “There’s still a lot strictness and authority (权威) on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College, “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these changing roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic (民主) process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”
1. The underlined word “gulf” in Para. 3 most probably means _________.| A．interest | B．problem | C．difference | D．separation |
| A．Parents help their children develop interests in more activities. |
| B．Parents put more trust in their children’s abilities. |
| C．Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs. |
| D．Parents share more interests with their children. |
| A．More confusion among parents |
| B．New equality between parents and children |
| C．Less respect for parents from children |
| D．More strictness and authority on the part of parents |
| A．describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with |
| B．discuss the change of the parent-child relationship |
| C．suggest the ways to handle the parent-child relationship |
| D．stress the importance of parent-child relationship |
A Mother’s Heartfelt Note of Love
Everything seemed to have changed for me when I entered high school. I never saw a single person I knew from middle school. At home I was just as lonely. “My brothers and sister all fit in.” I thought, coming in the door after another bad day at school. “Why can’t I?”
Mom was there waiting for me. “Karole, your bedroom’s a disaster. Why can’t you keep it clean?” The last thing I needed was criticism from my mother. What had happened to the mother who used to snuggle (依偎) with me on the sofa, loving me with complete acceptance? Who thought everything I did was wonderful? I didn’t bother trying to explain my unhappiness. It was easier to hide in my bedroom, without saying a word, like I did every afternoon.
Clearing off some space, I sat down at my desk. Yet another thing I wasn’t good at anymore. My grades had slipped along with my confidence. I turned to a new page in my notebook and started working out the first problem. Almost immediately, I saw I’d made a mistake. “Wrong again!” I thought. “You can’t do anything right!” I tore the paper out of my notebook, balled it up in my fist and threw it at the wastepaper basket. The ball landed on the floor. I heard my mother’s voice in my head, “Why can’t you keep your room clean?”
By the time I finished my homework, the floor was littered with crumpled (弄皱的) paper. It gave me a kind of satisfaction to see the mess I’d made. Like it was proof of all my shortcomings. Every time I looked at those crumpled balls, I reminded myself what a failure I was. But my unhappiness stayed hidden away, just like those mistakes. With my face a mask of indifference, no one knew what I was really feeling. Who would want to listen?
One day, I came home to an empty house. It was a relief not to be met with Mom’s latest complaint. “Nothing I do is right in her eyes.” I thought. “Or anyone else’s, including mine.”
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。
When I opened my bedroom door, I froze at the sight of a neat and orderly room.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I sat down at my desk, staring at those words.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________My teenage son, Jordan, always complained about having to be home earlier than all his friends. He would tell me that he was already seventeen, but still had a curfew (宵禁). He believed he was practically an adult. I pointed out that he was not an adult as he was still in high school.
“You don’t trust me!” he yelled. Before I continued, he rolled his eyes, slammed the door and walked away. I sighed. How could I make Jordan see that I only wanted to keep him safe?
I decided to go for a walk, hoping the December air would clear my head. I opened the front door and nearly stepped on her: a small black cat, just like a meatball. “Hi, Meatball,” I said, bringing her into my arms. I walked back in, touching her neck gently. Meatball seemed happy enough to come in the house, but after an hour or two, she sat by the door, meowing to go back outside.
“Why won’t she just stay in with us all the time?” Nathan, my youngest son asked.
I explained to him that she was happy here but she liked being able to come and go as she pleased.
“That must be nice,” Jordan muttered from the other room, complaining why the cat, not him, could come and go. He even asked me to give Meatball a curfew.
Meatball became a regular.
One night, temperatures were unusually low. Meatball stood at the door, meowing to go outside.
I shook my head at her, afraid that she might freeze to death. She stared at me and meowed again. I patted her head, “I know you’re not happy, but it’s for your own good.”
“Mom’s not being mean to you,” Nathan told the cat. “She’s just trying to keep you from turning into a frozen meatball.” We both laughed at his joke.
The next morning, I couldn’t find Meatball. I asked the kids if anyone had seen her.
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。
Jordan nodded, “I let her out last night.”
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As I drove to the animal hospital, Jordan sat in the back, holding Meatball inside his coat.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
