3 . It was the final part of the 2016 World Triathlon (铁人三项) Series in Mexico. With just 700 metres to go, Alistair Brownlee was in third place and his younger brother Jonny, was in the lead. Alistair pushed himself towards the finish line in the burning heat, but as he came round the corner, he saw his brother about to fall onto the track. Alistair had to choose brotherly love, or a chance to win the race.

For Alistair, the choice was clear. His brother was in trouble. He had to help. Alistair ran towards Jonny, caught him and started pulling him towards the finish line. Alistair then pushed his brother over the line. The move put Jonny in second place and Alistair himself in third. It was an unexpected end to the race, but Alistair did not want to discuss it with the media. He just wanted to see his younger brother, who had been rushed to the medical area.

The Brownlee brothers have been doing triathlons since they were children. “Obviously, when your older brother is doing it, you think it’s a cool thing to do,” says Jonny. Alistair says that they encourage each other as much as they can when they train. Though there are arguments over “stupid things” now and then, Alistair agrees that having a brother is an advantage. “Throughout my entire life, I’ve had my brother trying to beat me at everything I do. It has been a fantastic driving force.”

Watched by millions, the ending to the race has different opinions: should the brothers have been disqualified (取消资格) or highly praised for their actions? But for Alistair, his decision was easy to explain:“Mun wouldn’t have been happy if I’d left Jonny behind.” At that moment, he was no longer an athlete aiming for a medal——he was just a brother.

1. Why did Alistair get third place only?

A．He fell onto the track accidentally.	B．He was overtaken by another athlete.
C．He stopped to give his brother a hand.	D．He struggled with the burning heat.

2. What does Jonny regard his brother as?

A．An inspiration.

B．An authority.

C．A competitor.

D．A follower.

3. What are people’s opinions about Alistair’s behavior?

A．Unfavorable.

B．Supportive.

C．Uninterested.

D．Varied.

4. Which is the best title for the text?

A．The Finish Line

B．Just a Brother

C．To Win or Not

D．Life Is a Race

5. In which section of a magazine would you probably read the text?

A．Life.

B．Health.

C．Sports.

D．Community.

5 . Mildred Webinga Freeman was an English teacher at the new middle school I attended in the ninth grade. She wasn’t my teacher, she was the adviser to the safety patrol (巡逻队) on which I served. I loved being around her and enjoyed her sense of humor and kind personality. She was also a good listener.

At the end of the year, she announced that she was moving to Florida, and I was very shocked and sad. We exchanged addresses and became pen pals. I could tell her anything, and she treated me with respect even though I was a teenager.

In Florida, Mrs. Freeman became a businesswoman, but she managed to find time to write letters and amusing stories and always took my concerns seriously. She had given me an open invitation to visit, and I missed her so much. When I wrote to take her up on the offer, she answered, “Get your shoes on and your bags packed! You are welcome anytime!”

I spent three weeks with her in Miami, thrilled to do anything from washing dishes to touring houses with her. Her love of poetry, music, and creative writing encouraged me. One day while hanging sheets on the clothesline, she looked up and said, “You know, the sky is fuel for the soul.” I have never looked at the clouds since without hearing those words. Two years later when I visited her house I had hoped to talk to her about school, but instead she was in a hospital bed in the guest room. She had cancer on the liver, and her family members were caring for her. I was in shock.

To this day, more than 50 years later, I still see her smile and think about the advice she gave me. Now and then I reread her letters, and I remember the importance of her smile and her friendship.

1. Which of the following can best describe Mrs. Freeman.

A．Humorous and kind-hearted.

B．Respectful and amusing.

C．Serious but patient.

D．Creative but fun.

2. Mrs. Freeman was the author’s ________.

A．English teacher.

B．class adviser.

C．safety guard.

D．pen pal.

3. How long did the author spend with Mrs. Freeman in Miami?

A．One day.

B．Three weeks.

C．One year.

D．Nine years.

4. Why did the author feel shocked when she visited Mrs. Freeman two years later?

A．She had a liver cancer.

B．She was doing housework.

C．She showed little interest in school.

D．She was not looked after by her family members.

5. What can we know about the author?

A．She wrote stories for Mrs. Freeman.

B．She often visited Mrs. Freeman in Florida.

C．She once went mountain-climbing with Mrs. Freeman.

D．She kept Mrs. Freeman’s letters for more than 50 years.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

When an important holiday comes, I usually think of what gifts to buy or prepare for my family members. It is the act    1    (it)rather than the things you buy that matters. Either a small present, a text message or a phone call can mean a lot to the receivers.    2    , I had never got anything from my son, who is    3    university student. Parents never forget to celebrate their children's birthday, but their children seem to be very forgetful. They seldom do something in return.

Life is unpredictable, and you never know what will happen tomorrow. When my son came back during the summer vacation, my wife and I, as usual,    4    (meet)him at the station. On arriving home, much    5    my surprise, my son took out a fashionable wrist watch and gave it to me,    6    (say)it was a birthday gift for me. You can imagine how    7    (surprise)and excited I was at that moment!

Some people say children get too much care and love from their parents,    8    they never express thanks for. It is natural for people to have such concerns and    9    (worry), but things may not turn out as badly as    10    (expect).

7 . I’m racing on the 1,500-metre track (跑道) with my friend, Mary. I’m tired and my throat is giving me much pain. I want to stop but a voice repeating in my head keeps me running: “No one knows what the result will be. Everything is still possible.” Today, I have to fight with myself.

Nine years ago, when I was a 6-year-old girl, my mother took me on a trip. We went to the foot of a high mountain which she told me that we would climb. I had never done this before and the thought of it made me very happy.

At the beginning, I climbed fast. But half an hour later, when I was thirsty and tired, I just stopped and sat upon the ground , completely silent. My mom came and sat next to me.

She said, “Get up and go on!”

Almost shouting, and with tears in my eyes, I replied, “No, I don’t want to do this. It’s too tiring and I am thirsty. I don’t like it. I want to go back home now.”

Patiently she explained, “Listen, my dear. If you try your best, anything is possible. If you don’t try, your dreams will never come true. However hard the task is, we must finish it. You will never know how beautiful the scenery looks unless you reach the top of the mountain.”

Hearing her words, I stopped crying and started to climb again. Finally I made it; I did reach the top of the mountain and enjoyed the glorious view.

Today I’m on the racing track. I’m going to keep running because I know its always worthwhile (值得做的) to finish.

And in the end I managed it; I got through the finish line. Although it was really difficult and I did not win, I did make it. As former Indian President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1931-2015) said, “Never stop fighting until you arrive at your destined (命定的) place — that is, the unique you.”

1. What event is the author taking part in?

A．Jumping.	B．Running.
C．Boxing.	D．Climbing.

2. What does the underlined word “glorious” in Para. 7 probably mean?

A．Sweet.	B．Simple.
C．Beautiful.	D．Strange.

3. Who encouraged the author to reach the top of the mountain?

A．Abdul Kalam.	B．Mary.
C．Her teacher.	D．Her mother.

4. Which of the following sentences is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The author won the race in the end.

B．The author got through the finish line in the end.

C．The author climbed the mountain with her parents.

D．The author disliked the splendid view on the top of the mountain.

5. What can we learn from this passage?

A．No pains, no gains.	B．A small act makes a difference.
C．Hard work is the key to success.	D．To reach our aims, never give up.

8 . My elder brother Steve, in the absence of my father who died when I was six, gave me important lessons in values that helped me grow into an adult. For instance, Steve taught me to face the results of my behavior. Once when I returned in tears from a Saturday baseball game, it was Steve who took the time to ask me what happened. When I explained that my baseball had soared through Mrs. Holt’s basement window, breaking the glass with a crash, Steve encouraged me to confess (认罪) to her. After all, I should have been playing in the park down Fifth Street and not in the path between buildings. Although my knees knocked as I explained to Mrs. Holt, I offered to pay for the window from my pocket money if she would return my ball. I also learned from Steve that personal property is a sacred (神圣的) thing. After I found a shiny silver pen in my fifth-grade classroom, I wanted to keep it, but Steve explained that it might be important to someone else in spite of the fact that it had little value. He reminded me of how much I’d hate to lose to someone else the small dog my father carved from a piece of cheap wood. I returned the pen to my teacher, Mrs. Davids, and still remembered the smell of her perfume as she patted me on my shoulder. Yet of all the instructions Steve gave me, his respect for life is the most vivid in my mind. When I was twelve I killed an old brown sparrow in the yard with a BB gun. Excited with my accuracy, I screamed to Steve to come from the house to take a look. I shall never forget the way he stood for a long moment and stared at the bird on the ground. Then in a dead, quiet voice, he asked, “Did it hurt you first, Mark?” I didn’t know what to answer. He continued with his eyes firm, “The only time you should even think of hurting a living thing is if it hurts you first. And then you think a long, long time.” I really felt terrible then, but that moment stands out as the most important lesson my brother taught me.

1. What is the main subject of the passage?

A．The relationship between Mark and Steve.

B．The important lesson Mark learned in school

C．Steve’s important role in Mark’s growing process.

D．Mark and Steve’s respect for living things.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that when Mark confessed to Mrs. Holt, ________.

A．he felt surprised	B．he was light-hearted
C．he felt frightened	D．he knelt before her

3. In the story about the pen, which of the following lessons did Steve teach his brother?

A．Respect for personal property.

B．Respect for life.

C．Sympathy for people with problems.

D．The value of honesty.

4. According to the writer, which was the most important lesson Steve taught his young brother?

A．Respect for living things.

B．Responsibility for one’s actions.

C．The value of the honesty.

D．Care for the property of others.

5. Which of the follow is true according to the passage?

A．Mark was still a boy when he wrote this passage.

B．Mark lost the small dog his father gave him.

C．When a living thing hurts you, you should kill it.

D．Even if a living thing hurts you, you should not kill it without hesitation (犹豫).

9 . 语法填空

Look at the round cakes．They are made by Siew Boon．She is a jelly artist     1     runs her own business．She has created beautiful 3D jelly cakes by     2    （use）seaweed jelly and natural coloring．

Siew Boon     3    （begin）her business more than two years ago．In late 2017，unfortunately，doctors found a cancer on her breast．However，she was determined not to let cancer get in the way of her doing     4     she loved．On the days when she was feeling     5    （well），she spent time creating 3D jelly cakes for her team of doctors and carers．

During her fight with breast cancer，focusing on creating beautiful 3D jelly cakes helped to turn her focus away     6     the physical pain and negative thoughts．Moving forward，she hopes to find     7    （way）to make it a meaningful career．

Every piece is created upside down and takes up to 4 hours to complete．The flowers are made with special tools．It takes a lot of creativity and     8    （patient）to create every piece．

Aside from being beautiful，the cakes are special in taste．They have a     9    （vary）of unique tastes，such as flavors of apples，lemons，peaches and roses．

Siew Boon thinks the most     10    （satisfy）part of her job is to be able to bring joy to others．

10 . Last weekend, one of my best friends, whom I’ve shared just about everything with since the first day of kindergarten, came to visit me.

Over the weekend, we spent hours and hours, sharing _______ between us. She started telling me stories about her new boyfriend, who experimented with drugs and was into other _______ behavior. I was _______! She told me how she had been _______ to her parents about where she was going and even stealing out with a(n)_______ of seeing this guy because they didn’t want her around him. After my several tries to tell her that she _______ better, she still didn’t believe me. Her self-respect seemed to have _______.

I tried to _______ her that she was ruining her _______. But she refused to listen to me. I just couldn’t believe that she really thought it ________ to hang out with those ________, especially her boyfriend.

By the time she left, I was still ________ about her. I was so disappointed that I even ________ telling her that maybe we had just grown too far apart to ________ our friendship, but I didn’t. I put the power of friendship to the final ________. I had to hope that she ________ me enough to know that I was trying to save her from ________ herself.

A few days later, she called to say that she had thought long about our ________, and then she told me that she had broken up with her boyfriend. I just ________ with tears of joy running down my face. It was a truly rewarding ________ in my life.

1.

A．measures

B．standards

C．achievements

D．secrets

2.

A．impossible

B．unnecessary

C．improper

D．unfortunate

3.

A．at random

B．in shock

C．at fault

D．in silence

4.

A．lying

B．talking

C．admitting

D．proving

5.

A．contribution

B．advantage

C．similarity

D．intention

6.

A．got

B．explored

C．deserved

D．behaved

7.

A．disappeared

B．recovered

C．marched

D．paused

8.

A．accuse

B．convince

C．teach

D．guarantee

9.

A．friendship

B．convenience

C．confidence

D．future

10.

A．memorable

B．hopeful

C．acceptable

D．painful

11.

A．thieves

B．failures

C．cheaters

D．robbers

12.

A．worried

B．curious

C．enthusiastic

D．careful

13.

A．doubted

B．avoided

C．considered

D．imagined

14.

A．end

B．assess

C．fix

D．continue

15.

A．fight

B．test

C．debate

D．decision

16.

A．valued

B．forgave

C．assisted

D．demanded

17.

A．accompanying

B．hurting

C．promoting

D．frightening

18.

A．invitation

B．destination

C．conversation

D．graduation

19.

A．clicked

B．agreed

C．defended

D．listened

20.

A．moment

B．dream

C．success

D．choice