4 . 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.

2. What does the underlined phrase in the second paragraph mean?

A．Cheered up.

B．Gave up.

C．Burst out.

D．Ran out.

3. What can be inferred from the talk between the father and the son?

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.

4. Why did the father feel that two people had died?

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.

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Who is the woman?

A．A reporter.

B．An author.

C．A TV hostess.

2. When did the man’s oldest child begin to read?

A．At two years old.

B．At three years old.

C．At four years old.

3. Who is the second youngest child?

A．Ann.

B．Jenny.

C．Helen.

4. What was the man’s youngest child like as a kid?

A．She was very shy.

B．She was noisy and naughty.

C．She was quite interested in her studies.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where does Lisa come from?

A．America.

B．England.

C．Greece.

2. When did the woman know Lisa?

A．About 14 years ago.

B．About 15 years ago.

C．About 16 years ago.

3. Where did the woman meet Lisa for the first time?

A．At a pub.

B．At a cinema.

C．At a bookshop.

4. What do we know about Lisa?

A．She works full-time.

B．She has short hair.

C．She has a son.

7 . Who are your friends? Are they all similar in age to you?     1     But you can widen your social circle and gain life-enriching benefits by becoming friends with someone younger or older than you. Having friends of different ages can greatly improve the quality of your life.

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.     2     Then you’ll feel more ready for what’s coming in future stages.

When older people make friends with younger people, they get to share their experiences which can be very rewarding.     3     Giving your wisdom and attention makes you feel better. It gives you meaning and is good for your mental health. Having younger friends can also make you feel younger by including new ideas and energy in your life.

    4     While making new friends may seem frightening, it’s actually easier than you think. You can first think about your acquaintances or coworkers and see if any of them share your values and interests and would make a good friend. Then see if you can make a coffee date. Besides, you can consider joining in a class that your coworker or acquaintance participates in that you think you will enjoy.     5    

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.

8 . 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.
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Brandon cried when he first got the wheelchair.
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9 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

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.

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Seeing his son wet but alive, the captain breathed a sigh of relief.

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10 . The bell rang. Jacob smiled and he was glad his math class was _______. He grabbed his lunch bag out of his backpack and looked inside. He blinked. Beside his usual lunch, there was an envelope. Jacob opened it and slid out a (n) _______. It was of a suitcase. Jacob _______ what it meant.

The next day at lunchtime Jacob opened his bag. A new envelope peeked out. Inside was a tiny toy _______. Now he was _______! When he got home, he asked his mother, “Are we taking a plane somewhere?” She just _______ at him, her eyes sparkling. “I guess it’s a mystery(谜)” was the only _______ she gave him.

Over the next few days, Jacob _______ more: a small American flag, a leaf from a palm tree and _______ a juicy orange. Then one day, when he finally got to open his lunch bag, there was ________ in it except for his usual lunch. His heart sank. Maybe he had been wrong after all. Maybe there was no trip. He was very ________.

Just before the end of the day, the school secretary handed Jacob a small box. “This is for you and ________ your mother outside.” He opened the box. A smile slid across his face. He ________ and pulled out a small black hat with two round mouse ears.

He hurried down to the main school doors where his mother and father were waiting, with suitcases. “We’re going to Disney World, right?” Jacob couldn’t contain his excitement. “Mystery ________,” laughed his mother. “Come on, we’re headed to the ________!”

1.

A．finished

B．organized

C．recommended

D．registered

2.

A．backpack

B．photograph

C．envelope

D．lunch

3.

A．recognized

B．requested

C．wondered

D．imagined

4.

A．bag

B．picture

C．suitcase

D．airplane

5.

A．awkward

B．amazed

C．content

D．curious

6.

A．laughed

B．rushed

C．smiled

D．shouted

7.

A．solution

B．answer

C．impression

D．strategy

8.

A．found

B．designed

C．compared

D．exchanged

9.

A．even

B．yet

C．still

D．again

10.

A．everything

B．nothing

C．anything

D．something

11.

A．impressed

B．frightened

C．stressed

D．confused

12.

A．meet

B．visit

C．call

D．challenge

13.

A．checked out

B．cleaned up

C．reached in

D．came along

14.

A．improved

B．explained

C．arranged

D．solved

15.

A．class

B．airport

C．home

D．school