As we walk along “the path of life”, we are meant to come across some true friends, who encourage us and help us get through the hard time. To me, Tim is the one who brings out the
It was my first day at high school. I
I’ll never forget Tim. He really made a big
2 . When the fifth grade school year was almost over, all the girls made autograph (签名) books. As I signed my classmates’ books, I noticed their moms had written in them, too. “I couldn’t be prouder of you. Can’t wait to see how you like junior high!” “Congratulations! We love you and know you have a bright future!”
I asked my mother to sign mine, too. When she handed it back to me, I was anxious to see what she had written. This is what I found on the page:
When a thing is first begun,
Never leave it till it’s done.
Be the labor great or small.
Do it well or not at all.
That was it? I was frozen. It was an indication to me that, if I couldn’t be perfect, I wasn’t good enough. I held back my tears, left the page in but secretly hoped my classmates wouldn’t read it.
Do it well or not at all. For years, I battled perfectionism and never felt good enough for most of my life.
When my mother was in her eighties, I gave her a book to fill out so we could know more about her. It had questions at the top of each page and then blank space to respond. I secretly hoped she’d been working on it all along. Sadly, not long after, my mother passed away. When I sorted out her belongings, what I wanted more than anything was that book. What I found stopped me short. On page ten, the question was, “What’s the best advice you got from your parents?” Her response was what she had written in my autograph book. Even though I’d memorized it years ago, I read it at a slower pace now, seeing it in a new light.
It was written to her by her mother, and she was passing it down to her daughter in the same way. A gift from her to me. She was giving me treasured, valuable advice when all I was thinking about were words of praise. I understand it now.
1. In paragraph 1, the author found that words from other classmates’ moms ________.| A．contained reflection on life |
| B．expressed their thankfulness |
| C．showed pride in their children |
| D．featured a formal writing style |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Motivated. | C．Hopeful. | D．Anxious. |
| A．The author memorized the words from her mom. |
| B．The author was surprised to see the same words again. |
| C．The author found it easy to see the words clearly under the light. |
| D．The author began to have a new understanding of her mom’s words. |
| A．A vision of a perfect world. |
| B．Encouragement to do things well. |
| C．Her mom’s wisdom of loving yourself. |
| D．Her mom’s advice on living at a slow pace. |
1.你的观点；
2.你的建议。
注意：
1.写作词数应为80个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Cynthia,
How is everything going?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
4 . I was sitting with my study group when I received an email from my landlord. “Your apartment has lost
A dozen thoughts raced through my head. With no Wi-Fi or heat, how would I cook supper or finish my
An hour later, I watched in
During my
| A．appeal | B．power | C．sponsors | D．slogans |
| A．fascinating | B．outstanding | C．uplifting | D．freezing |
| A．cause | B．limit | C．tolerate | D．detect |
| A．reward | B．assignment | C．request | D．certificate |
| A．businesses | B．notices | C．thoughts | D．desires |
| A．recognize | B．entertain | C．burden | D．charge |
| A．insisted | B．arranged | C．approved | D．explained |
| A．amazement | B．curiosity | C．sorrow | D．embarrassment |
| A．schedules | B．imaginations | C．expectations | D．conversations |
| A．changing | B．mistaken | C．dramatic | D．familiar |
| A．age | B．stay | C．study | D．escape |
| A．However | B．Therefore | C．Rather | D．Anyway |
| A．grateful | B．puzzled | C．regretful | D．interested |
| A．expanded | B．confirmed | C．feared | D．guaranteed |
| A．generosity | B．thrill | C．satisfaction | D．kindness |
Niesha could not forget the way she froze in front of the class today. Mr. Roberts had divided the class into groups to do presentations. Today was Niesha’s turn. However, her hands shook so violently that she couldn’t read her notes. Her voice became softer even to silence. Mr. Roberts kindly ended Niesha’s part of the presentation even though she did clearly not finish. He also asked Niesha to stay after class for a moment.
“Niesha, I know you’re shy, but you worked hard on this project. I’d hate to see you give up on yourself.” Then Mr. Roberts hesitated, “If I give you another chance until tomorrow, do you think you can find your courage?” Niesha nodded, grateful for the chance. She went as quickly as she could to her next class. She kept her head down and hoped the school day would end soon.
When she reached her back steps that afternoon, she could see an inviting light coming from the kitchen windows. Momma was baking. Momma studied Niesha’s face as she came into the kitchen. “What’s wrong, Niesha?”
Tears shone in Niesha’s brown eyes. She told her the whole story. Momma was silent for a moment, her hands still busy with the cake. “Why is it that you can talk to me about anything and everything, but you can’t talk to your class?” Momma asked. She set the timer (计时器) and then said, “Let me show you something.”
Niesha followed Momma to her bedroom. There Momma showed her a book filled with newspaper clippings (剪报) and pictures. In it there was a blue ribbon (丝带) that said “First Place” and a picture of herself when she was very young, standing with her parents.
“I won it for public speaking. I started the school year as the shyest girl on the speech team, but I ended the year as the blue ribbon winner. It wasn’t easy at first-- I was not sure of myself at all. I worked hard, and mostly I faced my fears. You just need to find your courage.”
注意：(1)所续写短文的词数应为150左右；(2)续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1:
Hearing Momma’s words, Niesha stared at the precious blue ribbon, lost in thought.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
The next day Niesha again walked to the front of the classroom to give her presentation.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . Macie Semrau, a 6-year-old girl from Eliot, Maine, seldom missed school. So, when she refused to even get dressed one day, her mother decided to allow her to stay home with her father Kyle and her 4-year-old brother Caleb. The family would later be extremely thankful that the little girl refused to leave after she found her father passed out in the basement.
After returning from his night work, Kyle was feeling light-headed. He told his wife Kate that he would be laying low for the day with their children. He finally made his way to the basement. Macie paid attention to her father’s condition when she heard him shouting, and she and Caleb went to have a look. Macie found her 37-year-old father was about to lose awareness (意识). She asked him for his phone’s passcode (密码) so she could unlock it. After successfully opening his phone, she found the local police department’s number and called the police.
Smith was floored by Macie’s decision-making and her ability to stay calm. The little girl listed the family’s Goodwin Road address while explaining that her father was in trouble. In the meantime, Caleb comforted his father. Thanks to Macie and Caleb, he was sent to Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, where he required four liters of oxygen (氧气) and spent three days recovering.
“I’m very lucky, obviously because of my daughter and son and the police’s response” said Kate. “It was quick,” he added, mentioning that the police arrived just in two minutes thanks to Macie’s call. “It was unbelievable. I was in tears myself,” he said.
The Eliot Police Department also praised the young girl for her quick thinking and strong awareness. Eliot Police Chief Elliot Moya praised the Semraus for teaching their children about awareness of their surroundings (环境) as well as communication skills. Can your child open your phone and call the police? If not, now’s the time for them to learn.
1. What do we know about Macie from paragraph 1?| A．She was late for class regularly. | B．She went off to school almost every day. |
| C．She enjoyed staying home with her father. | D．She liked to play with her brother at home. |
| A．How to call for help with her father’s phone. |
| B．How to give emergency treatment to her father. |
| C．How to send her father to hospital with her brother. |
| D．How to get her father’s phone to connect to the Internet. |
| A．His daughter was wise to skip school that day. |
| B．His kids and the police’s response was immediate. |
| C．A policeman happened to be there to come to his help. |
| D．The police department’s phone was not busy that day. |
| A．fit into their new surroundings | B．show off their communication skills |
| C．remember the police’s phone number | D．learn some practical life skills earlier |
7 . Sometimes our friends’ behaviour can make us angry; sometimes we can see changes they need to make – but how do we tell them? Are there any ways to make difficult conversations easier?
It’s important to have evidence (证据) that there is a problem. Evidence that can be agreed on makes it easier for other people to recognize problems. Once you have evidence, it’s important to stress how it influences you and others. Psychologist Andrea Bonior suggests framing problems with “I” . Saying “I feel hurt that you spend less time with me” is better than “You never spend time with me!” .
Staying calm is of great importance. Being in tension might lead you to act badly and cause an argument. Bonior recommends you should accept that the conversation could make you anxious. If you think about this yourself, it can help you focus on positive results. If you recognize your anxiety to your friend, you will show a more human side. Another psychologist, Laura Brennan, points out how it’s important that we let go of our self-respect and don’t focus on the need to be proved right. This can help reduce tension.
Listening to the other person and asking questions can lower the potential for disagreement. Many experts recommend planning your words, so that you can say things in a way that avoids disagreement. However, Bonior is against overplanning as this can stop you being flexible enough to sincerely follow and join in the discussion.
Being patient is necessary. Complicated problems are unlikely to be solved with one conversation. Consider what is possible in one discussion, and that it may be harder than you thought. This will help you to set practical goals for what you can achieve.
1. Why should we keep calm in face of tension?| A．To avoid an argument. | B．To respect ourselves. |
| C．To make ourselves anxious. | D．To focus on right things. |
| A．Reminding. | B．Expressing. | C．Ignoring. | D．Escaping. |
| A．Overplanning will cause argument. |
| B．Bonior supports overplanning words. |
| C．Argument will disappear by listening. |
| D．Many experts suggest planning words. |
| A．Good qualities of a true friend |
| B．Great power of communication |
| C．Effective ways to reduce tension |
| D．Talking to solve friendship problems |
8 . It might sound a bit old-fashioned, but there’s something unique about handwritten things. And I’m a real believer in the
When I was about 12 years old, my friends and I wanted a pet mouse. The pet shop wouldn’t
My trick was quickly
One of them was my uncle who I’d only
My punishment
Then out of the blue, he passed away. My mum was
I often think about how that one
| A．content | B．advance | C．order | D．power |
| A．sell | B．pay | C．give | D．offer |
| A．handwriting | B．room | C．hand | D．habit |
| A．admired | B．exchanged | C．discovered | D．solved |
| A．strangers | B．neighbors | C．relatives | D．friends |
| A．ignored | B．met | C．recognized | D．thanked |
| A．detailing | B．organizing | C．improving | D．wasting |
| A．reasonable | B．complete | C．serious | D．efficient |
| A．think | B．care | C．hear | D．argue |
| A．went on | B．ended up | C．got over | D．turned up |
| A．concerned | B．upset | C．angry | D．calm |
| A．chocolates | B．books | C．puddings | D．letters |
| A．after | B．although | C．because | D．if |
| A．meaningful | B．frank | C．unique | D．improper |
| A．advised | B．required | C．encouraged | D．warned |
We were visiting our daughter when we adopted our Boston terrier, Tad. An adorable puppy, just three months old, he became the family’s center of attention. Each morning, as soon as he heard my daughter Kayla moving around downstairs, he had to be taken down for playtime before she left for work. When she came home from work, we had him waiting for her at the door.
After three weeks we left for home. On the drive, we let Tad talk to Kayla on the phone each night. Once home, every time we called Kayla or she called us, we always put Tad on. He scratched the phone and listened intently and tried to look into the phone to see her.
One Saturday, Kayla called while we were out. She left a message. Tad was standing beside me when I pressed the button to listen to the message. He listened to her talking and cocked his head, grinning at me. I played it again for him.
A few days later, I was taking my shower when I heard the answering machine come on and Kayla leave a message. I thought it was strange when I heard her message repeat and the machine announce, “End of messages.” A few seconds later Kayla’s message began yet again.
Wondering what was going on, I climbed out of the shower, wrapped a towel around myself and headed into the living room. There stood Tad, listening to the answering machine. I stopped and watched. When the message finished, he stood up with his feet against the edge of the low table, reached over with one paw (爪子) and slapped (拍打) the answering machine. The message came on again. He dropped back on the floor and listened happily. I told him “no,” and distracted (使分心) him from the answering machine while I erased (抹去) the message.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150 词左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A few days later, I was in the kitchen when I heard, “You have no messages.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Knowing what Tad wanted, I called Kayla that night and asked her to leave him a message.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 . Sometimes we fail to give enough attention to the heroes closest to us. That was the case with my family. My family knew my father had been a WWII soldier. But because he didn’t discuss his experience, we didn’t dig too deeply.
We lost him this past Christmas and when sorting out (整理) his things at home, we discovered what a truly great hero he was. He was once in college and majored in engineering. At the beginning of the war, he was drafted into the army, responding to the call. Just a few years later, he honorably left the army and returned home. He had also been awarded the Purple Heart Medal, the Silver Star Medal and the Bronze Star Medal.
How I wish we had taken the time to learn more about his stories in the war! He would have answered questions if we had done a little research and known what to ask. Fortunately, there was one family member who took time to do just that. This cousin was interested in WWII. And he researched the areas where my father served. We now know a small part of my father’s story from this cousin. We learned that the Silver Star Medal was awarded to my father because he carried a wounded soldier to safety through a minefield (布雷区). And he was once in several well-known fights.
This year, Memorial Day has a deeper meaning for my family because we have known more about my father’s service in the army. Many activities were held by my family in memory of my father. We’re also grateful to that cousin who took the time to find out more.
I hope you can do the same while your heroes are still with you. Find out as much as you can. Even if they don’t like to talk about their experiences and sacrifices (牺牲), chances are that they’ll answer direct questions if you do a little digging. You’ll be richly rewarded with a family story for generations to come.
1. The author knew his father was a great hero when ________.| A．he organized his father’s things left |
| B．his cousin told him his father’s story |
| C．they spent the past Christmas together |
| D．his father left the army with many honors |
| A．By killing enemies in a minefield. |
| B．By keeping details in battles secret. |
| C．By saving a soldier from real danger. |
| D．By taking part in some famous fights. |
| A．Active and easygoing. | B．Helpful and proud. |
| C．Fearless and talkative. | D．Brave and modest. |
| A．Share family stories with children. |
| B．Dig more about heroes around us. |
| C．Show respect for national heroes. |
| D．Be grateful to those helping us. |
