1 . I was recently in Door County Wisconsin, the land of cherries—a fruit sweet to taste and, for me sweeter to recall. The little fruit reminds me of a chat I had with my daughter Molly, now 19, about ten years ago on the summer shores of Lake Michigan.
Molly and I have much in common, including a lasting love of homemade pies. As I get aged, I’ve never changed the sense that freshly baked pies are the most delicious. My daughter agrees.
When she was younger, we would talk about pies before, while and after eating them. She made a special face and sign—one eye closed, fork waved twice in the air—whenever a tasty pie had been eaten up. So this chat wasn’t all that strange as we drove around Door County, a land of cherries that July day.
“Dad,” Molly asked from the back of our car, “try to guess my two favorite pies.” I thought before answering, given the importance of the subject.
Pumpkin and Wisconsin cherry, I answered, looking at her through the rearview mirror(后视镜). Our Lake Michigan location had given me the idea of my second guess and, I thought, her question. But that was not Molly’s answer. Her expression told me she was confused. But as quickly as the look came, it was replaced by a naughty smile. “OK,” she corrected, “try to guess my three favorite pies.” Molly had changed her rankings(排序), putting her original top two picks to second and third place.
Our brief chat stayed with me. Too often facts around me change, but my mind doesn’t. Unaffected by new information, I function like a navigation (导航) system that has missed a turn but won’t return. Since that summer day, when I sense myself behaving this way, I try to recall the “favorite pie” chat with my daughter and correct my course.
It was a small moment that Molly has probably forgotten, but I never will. Sometimes big lessons come from small moments.
1. What did Molly mean by making a special face and sign after eating a pie?| A．She was quite full. | B．She was very lovely. |
| C．She wanted more pies. | D．She really enjoyed the pie. |
| A．Refuse to change his mind. | B．Behave his own way. |
| C．Accept new information. | D．Follow a navigation system. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Excited. | C．Regretful. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．A shared love for pies | B．A happy journey in summer |
| C．A sweet lesson from a pie | D．A small moment with Molly |
When I was in Grade 10, my family had a tough time. My parents lost their jobs during the Depression. Dad was too ill to work outside, while mum had a hard time raising us kids on her own in our small community. We relied on our community assistance to keep us clothed, and although our clothes were second-hand, we thought they were beautiful.
Looking back, I realize what Mum went through for sending us kids to school. Every morning she would put a new piece of cardboard in our shoes, because our shoes were worn out. Constant moving was typical for my family in these times. Rent was twenty-five dollars a month, but Mum couldn’t pay it. These were hard and sad years, but we never complained.
New Year was approaching, and we were entitled to a twenty-five dollar fund for social services. Mum said that instead of buying food, she would use the money to pay back rent, assuring us all of a roof over our heads for a little while longer. She told us then there would be nothing for New Year.
Unknown to Mum, I had been shoveling snow and doing odd jobs to earn enough money to buy a new pair of gloves. I knew exactly which gloves I wanted. They were made of genuine leather and they had a price of twenty-three dollars. Well, the big day came on the last day of that year. I was very excited, as I hurried up to catch the bus. It was only a half-a-mile walk, but on the way I noticed a house with lights and decorations. It was then that I realized at our house, we had no lights, no decorations, nor any money for goodies. I knew then that we would have no delicious food for New Year, and I felt sad.
As I continued walking, I began to feel bewildered. I was sixteen years old, and I was feeling a strange sense of guilt. Here I was going to buy a new pair of gloves while Mum was home in tears. She would be trying to explain to us why there were no presents.
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。
Paragraph 1:
The bus drove off without me.
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When Mum opened the door, she surprisingly found that some of the groceries fell inside onto the floor.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . What do you plan to do in your retirement? Tom Brown—an engineer who grew up in rural North Carolina discovered unexpectedly his retirement passion project in 1998 at a farmer’s market. Brown was introduced to several heritage apples—varieties of the fruit which were standardized in the 18th and 19th centuries. For the past 20 years, he has devoted his time and efforts to hunting down rare and lost heritage apples across the east coast.
The number of apple types has likely numbered over 14,000 across the United States by 1905. At that time, food production and consumption was more localized than the international produce market of today. Some of the richest variety in apples was found along the east coast, particularly in the rural south. Many small farms boasted apple trees.
The consumer and technological shifts of the 20th century reduced American apple offerings. Orchards (果园) were abandoned, destroyed, or lost to growing forest. As a result, thousands of varieties seemingly disappeared from the palate (味觉) of the nation. Brown refers to these varieties as “Lost Heritage Apples,” apples which have not been documented or clearly known since about 1930.
Brown began his website Apple Search in search of these lost pieces of culinary (食物的) history. He spends much of his time driving around, literally knocking on doors and talking about apples. At times, Brown heads off for an old orchard mentioned in historical records. Other times, he follows the word of mouth as people whisper of apple trees they knew in their youth.
When Brown finds a variety of apple, he often donates cuttings to heritage apple orchards. While it may seem like a never-ending task to track down these trees, Brown says, “It is exciting for me to look for rare apple varieties knowing that I am helping restore the agricultural heritage of our country. It feels wrong to just let them die and be lost forever.”
1. What probably caused the disappearance of some apple types in America?| A．Change of climate. | B．Development of times. |
| C．Expansion of forests. | D．Decrease of consumers. |
| A．Brown’s efforts to build his website. |
| B．Brown’s interest in talking about apples. |
| C．Brown’s curiosity about the history of orchards. |
| D．Brown’s struggle to look for the missing apple species. |
| A．Faithful and humorous. | B．Optimistic and modest. |
| C．Responsible and determined. | D．Hard-working and considerate. |
| A．The Apple Hunter | B．The Rare Apple Species |
| C．The Apple Dealer | D．The Lost Heritage Apples |
“I hate you!” I shouted, as I ran up the stairs to my room. Throwing open my dresser drawers, I pulled out a clean T-shirt and jeans, threw them in my backpack and ran back down the steps. Mom and Dad stood there, looking like they were in shock.
“Where are you going?” Mom asked.
“Anywhere but here,” I shouted as I ran out the door. They weren’t fast enough to hold me, and I disappeared into the night. It was cold, but my hot temper(脾气) warmed me, and I didn’t feel it.
I hit the streets with my thumb(拇指) out. A free ride wasn’t safe, but I didn’t care. Deep down inside, I knew my parents loved me, but it wasn’t enough. I slept on a park bench the first night I took off. It was hard as a rock, and I was surprised to find that I wasn’t alone. Pecking through half-closed eyes, I could see other homeless people just like me, only they looked like they’d been there a long, long time.
By the end of the second day, I’d made my way to another city sixty-five miles away where I found a halfway house for runaways. I was tired, cold and hungry. By the time I got there, the kitchen was closed. All that was left on the table was a cold potato. I lifted it to my lips and bit into the skin. It was dry and stuck in my throat when I tried to eat it up. That night I slept on a small bed in a room with four other runaways. It wasn’t a whole lot better than the park.
Three days later, my dad showed up at the front door of the halfway house. I don’t know how he found out I was there, but part of me was glad he did, though I wouldn’t admit it out loud. After gathering my few things, we drove home in silence. I could see by the look on his face that he felt responsible for all my anger and sadness. I regretted shouting at my parents the night I ran away.
注意：1.续写词数应为100左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
When we finally reached our house, Mom opened the front door.
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Adam, 8, and Peter, 10, played at the seaside with their mom every day. Every single day, they would come across an old man who would sit quietly on a chair, watching the waves.
One day, the brothers approached him. For some reason, the old man who always avoided people started a long conversation with the two boys and introduced himself as Walter Bridgeton. After a while, Peter finally asked the question they had been longing to ask: “Sir, why do you sit out here every day?”
“Well, I have been waiting here for my brother, James, for 10 years. We were in the army together and then were sent to different countries. This happened a long time ago. When we last saw each other, we promised to meet right here, where we used to walk with our mother,” the old man explained.
“How do you know he’s still coming?” Adam asked.
“That’s the thing. I don’t know. They gave me his army dog tags(军籍身份牌), but they never found him. He is still missing,” he said. The old man patted the boys’ heads and said, “Look after your brother, boys.”
The boys enjoyed his company ever since that day, and they were also surprised to know they lived near each other. Deeply moved by Walter’s story, the brothers decided to use social media to spread it, hoping to find his brother. One day, they went to the beach to tell him about what they did, but didn’t find him at his usual spot. “Something must have happened. Let’s go to his house now,” Peter said.
注意：
1.续写词数应为100左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
They knocked at the door when they got there.
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6 . Growing up, my parents never forced me and my brother out of our house in Hounslow, but we weren’t
My family always had a special
When I was 19, my mum passed away. In the following months, I would come back
Next year will be 10 years since my mum died. Our family home is
| A．encouraged | B．reminded | C．allowed | D．persuaded |
| A．plan | B．pull | C．request | D．pressure |
| A．guaranteed | B．shared | C．favored | D．scheduled |
| A．inconvenient | B．disturbing | C．ordinary | D．temporary |
| A．concerned | B．convinced | C．grateful | D．hopeful |
| A．secretly | B．hesitantly | C．regularly | D．randomly |
| A．urging | B．instructing | C．inviting | D．forcing |
| A．out of touch | B．out of work | C．in debt | D．in pain |
| A．pretend | B．find | C．believe | D．ensure |
| A．Unusually | B．Unbelievably | C．Unfortunately | D．Unexpectedly |
| A．gift | B．job | C．hobby | D．vacation |
| A．experience | B．comfort | C．confidence | D．independence |
| A．disappearing | B．struggling | C．enlarging | D．changing |
| A．shocked | B．confused | C．glad | D．nervous |
| A．place | B．meal | C．dream | D．image |
1. What does the girl suggest about the first pair of shoes?
| A．They’re of low value. |
| B．They’re easy to walk in. |
| C．She’ll be popular if she wears them. |
| A．Father and daughter. | B．Salesman and customer. | C．Uncle and niece. |
8 . What I love most about traveling isn’t seeing the famous landmarks or eating great food. It’s watching my mom gasp (倒抽气) at something
When I tell people how much I like to
When I was little, my mother was my
Our trips are not without
| A．personal | B．safe | C．similar | D．beautiful |
| A．time | B．expect | C．share | D．miss |
| A．silently | B．again | C．together | D．quickly |
| A．talk | B．travel | C．work | D．agree |
| A．surprised | B．worried | C．excited | D．nervous |
| A．future | B．truth | C．power | D．world |
| A．important | B．possible | C．different | D．simple |
| A．parents | B．neighbors | C．classmates | D．friends |
| A．leader | B．teacher | C．partner | D．player |
| A．leave | B．dream | C．hide | D．relax |
| A．force | B．help | C．promise | D．choose |
| A．old | B．interesting | C．hard | D．great |
| A．regretted | B．tried | C．realized | D．changed |
| A．meetings | B．holidays | C．projects | D．trips |
| A．praise | B．love | C．remember | D．test |
After I stepped into the school library, I went straight to the shelves filled with books at once. It was break time and I had dropped by the library to borrow a book. Just as I was looking through some books, a girl in my class, Alice, came up to me. Alice was a pain in the neck as she would often make fun of others. That day, Alice laughed at me about my deepest secret -that I had come last in class in the mid-year examinations.
I blushed(脸红)hotly in shame. At the same time, I became extremely angry. My best friend, Lynn, was the only one who knew my secret. How could she betray(背叛)me?
My anger grew as thoughts about my friendship with Lynn flashed through my mind. We had been good friends since Primary 1. We hung out together, studied together and stayed up till the early hours of the morning to exchange our dreams. We were closer than sisters. When she needed a shoulder to cry on, I would be there. How could she do this to me? I was so mad that I could not control myself.
Brushing aside Alice’s taunts(嘲弄), I stormed to the place where Lynn usually went - the school field. Lynn looked at me with a welcoming smile on her face. The sight of her treacherous(背信弃义的)face made me mad and crazy.
“How could you do this to me? I thought we were friends!” I shouted at Lynn. “I hate you!”
A look of bewilderment(迷茫)crossed her face as she said,
“Wha ... What’s wrong? What did I do?”
Lynn cried out but I was cold and I didn’t show any kindness to her at all. I told her, “You are no longer my friend!”
And then I stormed away and returned to the library to calm myself down.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1: About 5 minutes later, one of my classmates came up to me and handed me my diary.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: Luckily, Lynn was still in the field.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When I was a child, my mother told my sister, who had a 10-inch very obvious scar (伤疤) on her arm, “Nancy, if you ignore the scar, other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not notice it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn’t matter to you.”
It never occurred to me that something like this would happen to my son years later. Sending a child off to college can certainly be stressful for concerned parents. It was in 2018 that my son went off to college. He rarely contacted us. I couldn’t help asking about other aspects, which sometimes made him complain that I didn’t treat him as an adult.
To be honest, my son is excellent. Some of my friends always tell me that they admire my son’s characters and they hope their sons could have some of them.
Unexpectedly, it was 4 o’clock in the morning in 2020, when I received the phone call. “This is the emergency room calling and your son was just brought in with severe burns on his face, neck and arms. We have called for an aircraft and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.” Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was serious.
The doctor described the reason, which caused the burns. At 6 am, my son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. When they lit the charcoal, it burst into flames because they had sprayed too much gasoline. The flames caught my son’s shirt tail and shot from his waist to well over his head.
Fortunately, one of the boys who was quick-minded grasped my son and rolled him on the grass. While it saved his life, it was not in shape to save him from severe burns and terrible scars.
After he recovered from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery for 6 months because it takes that long for the skin to stop shrinking and wrinkling.
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。
The doctors suggested he return to college with scars of severe burns temporarily.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________So I told him about Nancy’s childhood.
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