I stood in front of the house, waiting for Grandma’s box of cookies. Every Saturday, a box of cookies would arrive on our doorstep tied with a brown string. As far as I could remember, Grandma, carrying the box, was always there on time.
Jack, my younger brother, had always been fonder of the cookies. He was still childish, maybe not understanding the value of time with family. As for me, I was always Grandma’s little girl, and possibly she loved me more than Mom. There was something about Grandma that made her so special. In fact, seeing her every Saturday was the happiest thing all week for me.
Jack played in the yard and picked flowers for the dinner table. Mom always wanted the prettiest ones, and Jack just knew which ones she would love most.
“The weather report says today will be a rainy day. So will Grandma still come?” Jack asked.
“I’m not sure,” I answered, looking up at the sky. The clouds were dark gray and thick, which just made me more upset. However, Jack didn’t seem too excited about the cookies this time. He was arranging his flowers attentively.
“You’d better come in! I can feel a few raindrops on my head,” Mom shouted. Jack quickly ran towards her, carrying many flowers. Some even slipped out of his hands, creating a colorful trail behind him.
“I brought you some roses, Mom!” Jack said, shoving (猛推) the flowers into her hands. I found he left some flowers in his hand. Who was he going to give them to? Mom then looked back at me. “Would you rather be outside in the rain?” she questioned. I shook my head. “It’s just a box of cookies. I can get it next Saturday,” I thought. However, I knew it was more about the cookies — it was a lot of love from Grandma.
Mom gave me a small smile and repeated, “I knew you wouldn’t want to get wet. Come in, baby.” I was about to step inside when a familiar voice came, “Jenny, I’m coming!” I turned back and saw Grandma shuffling (拖着脚走) towards me.
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。
I rushed towards Grandma with open arms.
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“Grandma, you brought the cookies again!” Jack said happily.
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Beth was in hospital with viral pneumonia (肺炎). She felt down and she missed her parents terribly, who were far away in Europe on business. She lay in her bed crying when one nurse came in and recognized her sadness and loneliness. The nurse looked at the pale little girl worriedly, knowing that one of the greatest setbacks to recovery is often depression. Like the rest of the medical staff, she was overworked and couldn’t sit and keep Beth company all the time. Then she had a brilliant idea! Maybe she could kill two birds with one stone! Just at the end of the corridor (走廊), she had a patient who was just as lonely as Beth...
The nurse walked into Georgiana Halston’s room and smiled, “Didn’t you tell me you have a granddaughter, Mrs Halston?” Georgiana, who was lying on the bed and looking listlessly (没精打采地) out of the window, sighed. “Yes. I have a 7-year-old granddaughter, but she is in Canada. And she hardly calls me, because I don’t know what she like and she think it boring to chat with me.”
“Well,” the nurse said. “I have a 7-year-old down the corridor who is very lonely and needs a friend. I wonder if you could cheer her up a bit and be that friend?”
“But my leg hurts,” Georgiana said. “I can’t walk. You know that.”
“I know that your doctor want you out of bed and to walk around,” the nurse retorted. “If you don’t move, you’ll end up bedridden!”
Georgiana had been diagnosed with a form of bone disease and got a big operation. She was still in bed, but she should be up to exercise her leg. However, the truth is that she was afraid her leg would suffer terrible pain. After the nurse left, Georgiana lay on her bed for a long time, feeling sad for herself. Georgiana looked at the walker next to her bed and sighed. The matter of the lonely little girl haunted her.
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。
Then Georgiana picked her walker and headed for the girl’s room.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________A while later, the nurse appeared in Beth’s room.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . This is a true story that took place a few days ago. This woman looked
Her face was wrinkled from a very
Her
I only hope that one day my own face will
| A．ordinary | B．accessible | C．delightful | D．delicate |
| A．depressed | B．efficient | C．tall | D．lazy |
| A．foot | B．image | C．back | D．dignity |
| A．awarded | B．covered | C．associated | D．issued |
| A．slowly | B．firmly | C．finally | D．obviously |
| A．wondered | B．looked | C．glared | D．pointed |
| A．superb | B．slight | C．typical | D．true |
| A．long | B．common | C．reserved | D．strange |
| A．concern | B．attention | C．curiosity | D．sympathy |
| A．rewarded | B．motivated | C．formed | D．integrated |
| A．options | B．emotions | C．smiles | D．eyes |
| A．escaping | B．shining | C．dying | D．swinging |
| A．anxious | B．compared | C．content | D．filled |
| A．cast off | B．focused on | C．spoke to | D．applauded for |
| A．change | B．present | C．lose | D．improve |
Ellie had always been a planner. From a young age, she had organized her toys by color and size, planned her outfits for school days in advance, and created detailed schedules for her summer vacation. It was no surprise to anyone when Ellie decided to plan the perfect birthday party for her best friend, Sarah.
Ellie spent weeks carefully selecting the perfect decorations, choosing the tastiest snacks, and coming up with the most fun activities for Sarah’s birthday party. She even created a detailed plan for the day, down to the minute. Everything was going according to plan until the unexpected happened.
As the party guests arrived, Ellie was excited to show them all the amazing activities she had planned. However, when she led everyone to the backyard for the first activity, she was shocked to find that the stage she had rented for performing programs was nowhere to be found. Ellie’s heart sank as she realized that her perfect plan was falling apart.
In a panic, Ellie tried to come up with a solution. She called the rental company, but they had no record of her reservation. She tried to distract the guests with other activities, but nothing seemed to work. Ellie’s stress levels were through the roof as she realized that her carefully crafted plan was failing.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为80词左右；
2. 段首句已给出，不计入总词数；
3. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Just as Ellie was about to give up hope, Sarah approached her with a big smile on her face.
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5 . “This will never do.” I kept telling my husband as he set the table on Thanksgiving. I wanted everything to be
Then luckily, I read from a book, “Too much criticism hurts; necessary praise helps. Put your praise of someone in
So the next Thanksgiving, I
I no longer focus on finding fault with others.
| A．perfect | B．new | C．permanent | D．normal |
| A．finally | B．constantly | C．merely | D．hardly |
| A．rewarded | B．forgave | C．prepared | D．blamed |
| A．lifelong | B．aimless | C．curious | D．unhealthy |
| A．made sense of | B．got used to | C．lost sight of | D．paid attention to |
| A．criticizing | B．defending | C．supporting | D．praising |
| A．listening | B．speaking | C．writing | D．testing |
| A．reported | B．announced | C．replied | D．admitted |
| A．appreciate | B．dislike | C．expect | D．ignore |
| A．opinions | B．plans | C．gifts | D．notes |
| A．remembering | B．reading | C．explaining | D．reciting |
| A．chance | B．promise | C．mistake | D．moment |
| A．secret | B．tradition | C．adventure | D．experience |
| A．Instead | B．Therefore | C．Besides | D．Otherwise |
| A．effort | B．challenge | C．wish | D．word |
6 . When I was 19, determined not to spend my last teenage year in a suburb in Buckinghamshire, I took off with an Australian friend. We travelled around Europe for months. We stayed in the
That was in 1990, a time before mobile phones and the Internet appeared, when the primary
Before I left, Mom had made me a money pouch (荷包) to wear around my neck. She’d also made me two sleeping sheets so I could
It’s only now, as my 18-year-old daughter is preparing to leave on her own gap-year (间休年) trip, that I have more
Doing multiple jobs and saving money, my daughter has researched on her own where to stay, how to
When she first mentioned a gap-year travel, I was encouraging, expecting her to have her own experiences that will
| A．nearest | B．tidiest | C．cheapest | D．safest |
| A．lived on | B．passed on | C．turned in | D．hung up |
| A．responsibility for | B．contact with | C．belief in | D．response to |
| A．stamps | B．envelopes | C．text | D．mail |
| A．avoid | B．dust | C．spread | D．fold |
| A．confidence in | B．influence on | C．doubt about | D．sympathy for |
| A．get along | B．get around | C．get away | D．get down |
| A．frequently | B．regretfully | C．sorrowfully | D．rarely |
| A．courageously | B．deliberately | C．desperately | D．favorably |
| A．involved | B．thrilled | C．embarrassed | D．discouraged |
| A．calm | B．shape | C．control | D．resist |
| A．envious of | B．skilled in | C．ashamed of | D．ready for |
| A．stuck | B．busy | C．free | D．burdened |
| A．announcement | B．invitation | C．letter | D．gift |
| A．blame | B．comfort | C．bother | D．greet |
7 . There’s a quote putting, “life doesn’t come with a manual (手册); it comes with a mother.” Thankfully, for Jabez and Christopher, their manual — or mother — found a creative way to keep her little boys’ fingers safe around a sewing machine. And as a result, she turned them into successful business owners.
Queenie Jenkins from Atlanta worked in the fashion industry and in her spare time, made matching scarves and skirts on her sewing machine at home. But once she became a mother with two energetic boys at her feet, her hobby became both difficult and dangerous. So, she turned the problem into a life lesson. Jenkins taught her boys how to use the sewing machine skilfully and safely. It wasn’t long before the boys were no longer green hands. As they grew older, they knew how to change the trousers into shorts for the summer months well.
When Jabez’s elementary school held a Career Day, he made 30 bow ties and 30 hair bows to sell. Within minutes, all of them had sold out. Then Jabez launched Kings and Gents Accessories, a small workshop, in 2018 with his brother. In addition to making and selling their bow ties, the brothers have also written a book and created a YouTube channel to host meetings for other potential “kidpreneurs (儿童企业家)”.
Now as a freshman in high school, Jabez said inspiring the next generation of business owners is an important part of their mission. “We just wanted to show younger kids how we got started, and how they can get started,” said Jabez, “We’re no different than any other kids.”
Jenkins has plenty to be proud of. Not only have her boys created a successful business, but they’ve gained valuable life skills along the way. “They’ve learned not to give up, to be more creative, and to be thinkers,” said Jenkins. “They don’t allow their fear to stop them.”
1. In which aspect do Jabez and Christopher benefit most from their mother’ sewing machine?| A．Life skills. | B．Safety rules. |
| C．Business plans. | D．Cloth materials. |
| A．Awkward learners. | B．Attractive experts. |
| C．Admirable pioneers. | D．Amazing artists. |
| A．Over-all. | B．One-sided. | C．Short-lived. | D．Far-reaching. |
| A．Mama’s sewing machine |
| B．Business on the rocks |
| C．Sewing the seeds of success |
| D．Developing creative thinking |
8 . My son Dan was going to fly out to France in a couple of hours. When we had to say
I knew that this wasn’t the first time I had let such a(n)
There was one chance I didn’t
The night before his
“Dan,” I finally said, “if I had the
That was all I could say. I was not sure whether he
What I told Dan was simple and
| A．goodbye | B．hello | C．sorry | D．please |
| A．advice | B．money | C．support | D．fun |
| A．mistake | B．opportunity | C．challenge | D．award |
| A．busiest | B．only | C．best | D．first |
| A．stopped | B．found | C．boarded | D．checked |
| A．important | B．clear | C．unique | D．similar |
| A．tried | B．started | C．continued | D．failed |
| A．Besides | B．Again | C．Instead | D．Soon |
| A．provide | B．create | C．deserve | D．miss |
| A．or | B．but | C．because | D．so |
| A．idea | B．excuse | C．job | D．answer |
| A．graduation | B．departure | C．competition | D．performance |
| A．worrying | B．writing | C．puzzling | D．reading |
| A．ask for | B．think of | C．learn about | D．look into |
| A．strange | B．interesting | C．helpful | D．necessary |
| A．influence | B．need | C．mean | D．express |
| A．plan | B．power | C．chance | D．choice |
| A．remembered | B．understood | C．appreciated | D．considered |
| A．waited | B．changed | C．disappeared | D．burned |
| A．unforgettable | B．valuable | C．normal | D．common |
| A．She cooked food. | B．She went to a restaurant. | C．She helped her grandma. |
10 . Recently, my husband and three kids were playing in the Mediterranean, swimming and floating in the picture-perfect sea. It was extremely beautiful in Majorca, Spain. The way the sun danced across the water and how the blue horizon was dotted with storybook sailboats were such beautiful scenes. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes.
My husband and I always dreamed about taking our kids on a trip around the world. It was something we always wanted to do “one day”. It was one of the things we talked at length about, when we imagined our life with the children we hoped we would have.
Fourteen years later, we had three boys who were growing up faster by the day. It was time to make good on those plans.
We spent dozens of hours discussing, researching and planning. We had to learn how to “road school” our kids and arrange time off from work. We renewed our passports, and then packed our bags. We showed our kids the world. It was about experiencing the dozens of flights and trains and taxis together. We showed them how wonderful, how diverse, and how amazing the world is. We wanted them to learn all that we had learned ourselves, through our own travels as young adults.
But there was something more than that: What we really wanted is to slow down time. We wanted the days to last a bit longer, and the weeks to take their time. The years with our children are going too fast. We wanted to put the brakes on (阻止) our busy lives for a year, and just be with our kids. We wanted a break from the daily morning routine of making lunches, eating breakfast and rushing out of the door in time for school. We needed a family time-out.
It was a wonderful two-month trip in Europe, full of incredible moments. And when we look back at our lives, I know we’ll be glad we did it. I know we’ll be happy that this is a chapter of the story of our family.
1. What was the author’s attitude toward the trip when planning it?| A．Worried. | B．Calm. | C．Stressed. | D．Eager. |
| A．Change. | B．Realize. | C．Improve. | D．Cancel. |
| A．To teach her children to value life. |
| B．To allow her children to see the world. |
| C．To enjoy a family breakaway from their life routine. |
| D．To enable her children to learn something out of class. |
| A．Tired. | B．Satisfied. | C．Inspired. | D．Disappointed. |
