Your letter will be assessed from the following FOUR aspects:
a) Content;
b) Organization & Transition;
c) Language Diversity &Accuracy;
d) Handwriting &Neatness.
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Chain of ________
My father and I have been separated for over two years. He was terribly harsh with me throughout my childhood, and I felt that I couldn’t forgive him. And yet, now he is dying, struggling to breathe through an oxygen tube. All I can think of is how much he loved me.
How he would kiss me on the forehead before school. How he bought me roller skates, although we were struggling by on his salary. How he would play chess and tennis with me, and take me to endless chess and tennis matches even though I never won anything. How he would fill in the quick crossword, leave a few clues and praise me if I solved them. He kept every article I ever had published, even during our many estranged periods. He gave me a lot of his savings to buy a flat after I became a single mum when my daughter was one year old. And he set my date of birth as the passcode on his phone.
Yet I’m ashamed to say I hated him for everything: my cutting, my anxiety, my depression.... He was there during the tough times, yet all I could think was that the tough times happened because of him, forgetting that the causes of events are complex, and that plenty of people who had happy childhoods have to deal with strict and pushy parents, too. I even stopped him from seeing my daughter, then three, the person that brought him most happiness, because I was scared he would hurt her, and that her life would be like mine. That decision would mean he never spoke to me again.
Born in 1930s, he was a man of few words, a silent romantic who signed his empty Valentine’s cards to my mother with only his first initials (姓名的首字母). Knowing he was old, I tried to get back in touch several times to make things right, but my mother said he didn’t want to hear from me. I understand that.
It’s much too late now. When I sit by his hospital bed and hold his large wrinkled hand, I ask him to squeeze it if he can hear me, he doesn’t. So I tell him a few of the things I should have told him, though it’s hard to say the words that I love him very much, and that I’m sorry about the estrangement. And it reminds me of what I’ve known for a long time: my dad didn’t know how to be a father to me when I was young, because his father was harsh to him as a child.
I never thought that I’d feel this broken at losing him. I wish that his eyes will open, even for just a few days. I will give him a letter thanking him for all the things he has helped me and apologizing for all the ways I have wronged him. And when I give the letter to him, I will bring my five-year-old daughter with me, so he can see her happiness and sweetness and learn that the chain of hurt has finally been broken.
1. [Meaning in Context] What does the underlined word “estranged” in Paragraph 2 mean in this text? (With no more than 20 words)2. [Pronoun] What does the underlined word “that” refer to in Paragraph 4?
3. [Chronology] Number the following events in the right time order according to the article.
①My father gave me his savings to buy an apartment when I divorced.
②My father played chess with and tennis with me, and took me to endless chess and tennis matches even though I never won anything.
③I stopped my father from seeing my daughter.
④My father was hurt by his father when he was a child.
⑤I felt heart-broken to lose him.
4. [Emotion] What were the narrator’s feelings towards her father when her dad was alive and when her dad was dying? Find textual evidence to support your opinion.
5. [Title] One word is missing in the title. Which one do you prefer for the title, Chain of Hurt or Chain of Love? Please give your reason.
3 . It started with a dogwood (山茱萸) tree.
I was in Ohio when my mother died on a cold day in February, and everything was
We planted the dogwood in May. Its gray trunk (树干) was as thin as my mother’s arms. It lay in the
Planting a living thing to honor her hard life that ended too soon soothed (抚慰) my heart. This tree would be a symbol of her, something I could
My mother could make anything
As a young adult, I was never good at cultivating—opportunities, relationships, and flowers. Because of distance and poor health, my relationship with my mom never got the chance to blossom as I’d hoped.
But my mom’s dogwood grew. Its
Soon I began buying other plants. Without explanation, these plants suddenly thrived under my care. And I grew, too, learning how to tend to them. So many lessons that nature already knew, that my mother must have known but didn’t have time to
A part of me believes this is my mother’s gift she gave to me after she passed away—the ability to encourage and celebrate
Though she has been gone for more than 14 years, I can still find her in my garden.
1.| A．cold | B．colorless | C．false | D．amazing |
| A．need | B．favor | C．memory | D．celebration |
| A．existence | B．sight | C．height | D．wonder |
| A．air | B．heaven | C．water | D．ground |
| A．sign up for | B．adapt to | C．hold on to | D．catch up with |
| A．grow | B．rise | C．melt | D．appear |
| A．branches | B．seeds | C．roots | D．leaves |
| A．share | B．draw | C．learn | D．judge |
| A．tradition | B．holidays | C．victory | D．life |
| A．taken | B．handed | C．reminded | D．convinced |
Bringing with him lots of books, clothes, and two pairs of trainers, Zhang Tian travelled to the village with an eager heart. He imagined
Our coach was not so sure. Paul had to
Like any exercise, running increases the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain. It makes your heart stronger and allows more blood to flow around your body. It also
5 . I was about to sleep when someone knocked on my window. Knock, knock. Then a three-second pause. Knock, knock. Immediately I knew it was my best friend, Ben. The knock
“What’s going on?” I rushed to open the window and asked.
Ben climbed in. “Bad news.” He gave me a
“Where to?” I asked.
“Virginia.”
“That’s far from Florida.”
We looked at each other knowing we were thinking the same. Both Ben and I had parents in the airforce. We were used to frequent moves.
Ben and I became close friends since I crashed into Ben’s stand and sent plastic cups of lemonade flying into the heavens. At first, I
“It must have been fate!” we claimed. But I think that, maybe, there was some
“Maybe your family will get moved to Virginia too.” Ben said.
“Yeah, maybe.” I knew the chance was low, but I chose to hope.
Ben grinned at me. Though it looked sad, I saw
“I’ll have a lemonade stand
“Then I’ll pack my roller-skates.”
“Then I’ll wear a poncho (雨披).”
We
| A．sound | B．pattern | C．number | D．symbol |
| A．playful | B．grateful | C．cheerful | D．meaningful |
| A．failed | B．softened | C．sank | D．relieved |
| A．hated | B．missed | C．explored | D．appreciated |
| A．gradually | B．narrowly | C．constantly | D．accidentally |
| A．sign | B．magic | C．flavour | D．wish |
| A．hope | B．joy | C．courage | D．support |
| A．necessary | B．convenient | C．ready | D．useful |
| A．struggled | B．argued | C．laughed | D．compromised |
| A．rule | B．bond | C．barrier | D．balance |
6 . Living and dealing with kids can be a tough job these days, but living and dealing with parents can be even tougher.
If I have learned anything in my 16 years, it is that communication is very important, both when you disagree and when you get along. With any relationship, you need to let the other person know how you are feeling. If you are not able to communicate, you drift apart. When you are mad at your parents, or anyone else, not talking to them doesn’t solve anything.
Communication begins with the concerns of another. It means that you can’t just come home from school, go up to your room and ignore everyone. Even if you just say “Hi”, and see how their day was for five minutes, it is better than nothing.
If you looked up the word “communication” in a dictionary, it would say “the exchange of ideas, the conveyance (表达) of information, means of communication such as a letter or a message”. To keep a good relationship, you must keep communication strong. Let people know how you feel, even if it’s just by writing a note.
When dealing with parents, you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as a parent. If you are trying to make them see something as you see it, tell them that you’ll listen to what they have to say, but ask them politely to listen to you. Yelling or walking away only makes the situation worse.
This is an example: one night, Sophie went to a street party with her friends. She knew she had to be home by midnight after the fireworks, but she didn’t feel she could just ask to go home. That would be rude. After all, they had been nice enough to take her along with them. Needless to say, she was late getting home. Her parents were mad at first, but when Sophie explained why she was late, they weren’t as mad and let the incident go. Communication is the key factor here. If Sophie’s parents had not been willing to listen, Sophie would have been in a lot of trouble.
Communication isn’t a one-way deal: it goes both ways. Just remember: if you get into a situation like Sophie’s, tell the other person how you feel—listening is the key factor to communication.
1. In the writer’s view, dealing with parents is ________than with children.| A．more difficult | B．easier | C．more uninteresting | D．more interesting |
| A．the importance of friendship |
| B．the disadvantage of being angry with others |
| C．the importance of communication |
| D．the disagreement between generations |
| A．Sophie is very polite to her parents |
| B．Sophie’s parents are willing to listen to her |
| C．explanation is the best way to solve a problem |
| D．communication is the solution to misunderstanding |
| A．If you don’t agree with others, you’d better let them know |
| B．It is better to say “Hi”to others than say nothing |
| C．If you are not able to communicate, walk away |
| D．Communication is a two-way deal |
7 . 17-year-old Norwood was driving three friends home in St. Petersburg, Florida, on February 20. As they reached a crossroads, a black car
As smoke rose from the car, a bystander shouted, “It’s about to blow up! Get out!” The
But halfway down the street, she realized that her best friend, Simmons, wasn’t with them. Norwood ran
She started pumping Simmons’s chest and breathing into her friend’s mouth in hopes of filling her lungs with the kiss of life. No
Soon, paramedics (急救人员) arrived and rushed Simmons to the hospital, where she heard how her best friend had saved her life. “I wasn’t
| A．stopped | B．hit | C．guided | D．passed |
| A．impact | B．symbol | C．weight | D．gravity |
| A．Relaxed | B．Shaken | C．Amazed | D．Embarrassed |
| A．free | B．defeat | C．meet | D．protect |
| A．back | B．around | C．forward | D．outside |
| A．pushed | B．rolled | C．drove | D．dragged |
| A．lost | B．tested | C．earned | D．provided |
| A．trouble | B．response | C．preparation | D．exception |
| A．begun | B．finished | C．failed | D．worked |
| A．calm | B．upset | C．surprised | D．nervous |
8 . My mother looks just like many grandmothers — short and white-haired. She comes from an old, traditional family in Canada, where she now still lives. She was a civil servant. In short, she didn’t do
That all changed a few years ago. She began to
In early 2015, the year she turned 75, she informed me she’d
My mother paid no attention to me. Off she went. When she returned, she told us it had been a wonderful success. As it
I couldn’t believe her naivety (幼稚) and explained that she had been
Well, I was
To my great shock, her rugs did arrive some weeks later, along with a lovely note from Mustafa. To my even greater surprise, the following year Mustafa himself arrived in Canada.
“I invited him for a cup of tea and he came,” my mother told me. I was
I wondered: “Is she not thinking straight?”
Her
I don’t think Mum knows what her next big “thing” is going to be. But I am sure, she is open to any
| A．complex | B．crazy | C．boring | D．rude |
| A．surprise | B．amuse | C．comfort | D．attract |
| A．missed | B．taken | C．offered | D．booked |
| A．allow | B．demand | C．remember | D．cancel |
| A．intention | B．knowledge | C．view | D．fear |
| A．turned out | B．came true | C．made sense | D．went ahead |
| A．training | B．leading | C．hiring | D．refusing |
| A．invite | B．sell | C．switch | D．ship |
| A．dominated | B．ignored | C．cheated | D．abandoned |
| A．right | B．lucky | C．serious | D．wrong |
| A．frightened | B．depressed | C．disappointed | D．ashamed |
| A．If | B．Since | C．While | D．Once |
| A．promotion | B．interaction | C．independence | D．preference |
| A．cured | B．warned | C．informed | D．reminded |
| A．pleasure | B．adventure | C．freedom | D．beauty |
9 . Dad had a green comb. He bought it when he married Mum. Every night, he would hand me his
I was
Two years later, Dad started his own
After my graduation, Dad’s business was getting back on track. On my 28th birthday, Dad came home
It hit me then: why, as a child,
I passed the clean comb back to Dad. He smiled at me and
| A．bag | B．wallet | C．comb | D．brush |
| A．annoyed | B．relieved | C．ashamed | D．pleased |
| A．joy | B．sadness | C．courage | D．pain |
| A．out | B．over | C．on | D．in |
| A．stare | B．laugh | C．shout | D．smile |
| A．family | B．task | C．business | D．journey |
| A．progress | B．improve | C．change | D．form |
| A．satisfied | B．delighted | C．strict | D．mad |
| A．patience | B．time | C．speed | D．ease |
| A．early | B．occasionally | C．frequently | D．rarely |
| A．sharpen | B．repair | C．clean | D．keep |
| A．dropped | B．handed | C．took | D．threw |
| A．watching | B．letting | C．hearing | D．helping |
| A．find | B．lose | C．waste | D．spend |
| A．meant | B．broke | C．affected | D．supported |
| A．carefully | B．hurriedly | C．proudly | D．confidently |
| A．exciting | B．different | C．interesting | D．stressful |
| A．for | B．or | C．so | D．yet |
| A．absent-minded | B．hesitant | C．heartwarming | D．innocent |
| A．function | B．target | C．life | D．education |
1. 表示理解；
2. 提供减压的建议；
3. 祝福他早日适应新生活。
注意：开头和结尾段已给出，请补充中间内容。
Dear Chris,
I'm sorry to learn that you've been under a lot of pressure lately. It is natural to feel pressured when you attend a new school.
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I believe it will all work out. Cheer up! Let me know if I can help further.
Yours,
Li Hua
