When John pulled into his mother’s driveway with his young daughter, Lily, the sight of the familiar lychee (荔枝) tree welcomed them. “Look, Lily,” John said, pointing to the towering tree in the front yard. “It’s the family tree.”
Lily smiled as John treated the tree as if it were a real family member, patting its trunk (树干) affectionately. As they were admiring the tree, the screen door opened and out stepped Grandma Mei, bathed in the warm Florida sunlight. Grandma Mei, who came from the province of Guangdong in China, was known for her green thumb, particularly when it came to lychees.
Seeing her granddaughter, Grandma Mei adjusted her baseball cap and asked if Lily was ready for some lychees. But Lily hesitated, for the fruit’s appearance was unlike any other fruit she had tried before. With a laugh, Grandma Mei gave her a gentle hug. “More lychees for me then, John,” Grandma Mei said.
“Let’s get busy!” John said with enthusiasm, rubbing his hands together. “Family tree’s waiting.”
Hearing Dad calling the tree by name, Lily couldn’t help laughing. “Laugh if you want, Lily, but this tree is really family. On cold nights, before family tree was fully grown, Grandma Mei used to take my blanket and throw it over that tree.” Grandma Mei nodded, adding that she had to protect the tree from bad weather so that it would become a big strong tree and grow fruit for the whole family.
John, eager to start the day’s work, began climbing the tree, determined to harvest the best lychees for the family. Lily watched in amazement, noticing the clusters (簇) of lychees, their skin rough yet inviting.
As John skillfully cut through the branches with a cutter, Lily expressed her concern for the well-being of the tree. John explained to her that cutting the ends of branches won’t hurt family tree. Instead such behaviour made it healthier and stronger.
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。
Lily’s hesitation towards the fruit gradually shifted to curiosity and she wanted to try it.
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Later in the afternoon, they all sat under the tree, surrounded by boxes filled with lychees and sharing stories related to lychees.
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1. What did the speaker learn from her father?
| A．Cooking. | B．Driving. | C．Swimming. |
| A．She fixed her computer. |
| B．She learned to ride a bike. |
| C．She went camping in the countryside. |
| A．They’re strict. |
| B．They’re confident. |
| C．They’re patient. |
3 . While it’s true that introverts tend to enjoy alone time, it’s not true they dislike people or social environments. Just because you show more reservation than enthusiasm in these settings, it doesn’t mean you need to change or that you can’t make new friends. Kat Vellos, a speaker and connection coach, advises introverts to “Resist pressure from the outside world and don’t hide your true nature or force yourself to be extroverted.”
Danielle Bayard Jackson, a friendship coach, says that introverts can be good friends. “I think we sometimes joke about them being incapable or not knowing what to do…and they actually have a lot of superpowers that we don’t give credit(赞扬)to. They’re very observant. They’re really good listeners. And I think that makes for really good friends.” So, how can introverts use their strengths and make new friends in the process?
“One of my favorite ways to do this is by going to a social event, then camping out on the edge with other highly sensitive people who don’t want to be in the center of the action.” Vellos, who is an introvert herself, says. “The kitchen and the edge of the yard are where I’ve often found the best conversations and feelings of connection at an otherwise overwhelming(令人难以应对的)party.”
The key for introverts is to be mindful of how they spend their energy so that when they spend it, they spend it well. “If you know you have a small social battery and you can show up for one hour after which it’ll be overwhelming for you, make good use of that information about yourself.” Jackson says. “If you know you only have an hour to spend, choose carefully the things that you say yes to.”
As an introvert, you feel and think deeply, so this means that you have the rare(罕见的)ability to go deeper more quickly with someone new. An hour or two nay be just the amount of time you need.
1. What is Vellos’ suggestion for introverts?| A．Change yourself to make personal relationships better. | B．Make friends with more extroverts. |
| C．Organize various social events. | D．Accept who you really are. |
| A．They prefer to enjoy alone time. |
| B．They are incapable of making new friends. |
| C．They have many advantages that are often ignored. |
| D．They are more popular than extroverts in the workplace. |
| A．Stay with other introverts in less crowded places. |
| B．Invite other introverts to go camping with her. |
| C．Have conversations with sociable guests. |
| D．Give a hand in the kitchen. |
| A．Why we need introverted friends |
| B．How to make friends as an introvert |
| C．Ways of getting along with introverts |
| D．Differences between introverts and extroverts |
When the fire alarm woke her up at 6:50 a.m., Cloe Woods immediately took action.
Cloe told her grandmother to hold her shoulder as they walked out of their home. Once outside, started looking for water,
The fire was eventually put out. A firefighter praised Cloe for her
“Cloe is ahead of my time,” Shone Arceneaux, Cloe’s mom, said
The family is now at a hotel while the house
It was a hot day in Florida. The school year had just ended and it was time for summer vacation. We had just gotten a little black dog who we named One-Eyed. We chose that name because he could only see out of one eye.
Everybody wanted to do something for the dog: feed him, teach him tricks and take long walks with him. Everybody was so happy to have this active, playful and shaggy new addition to our family. Everybody, that is, except my mom and me.
All my mom saw when she looked at the dog was someone else to clean up after. Shedding, messy, muddy, he pounced all over the house. All Mom seemed to care about was getting the house cleaned. My mom began to put Clorox (高乐氏漂白水) in the bathtub. There was no messing with Mom when she started cleaning, so I decided to move out of the way. Actually, getting out of the way is a move I’d been practicing for a long time.
Being the youngest in my family has had its advantages, of course. More than a few times I was spoiled or everyone said I was the cutest. But being the youngest also came with its fair share of troubles. “You’re too young!” “You’ll mess this up!” they’d often say. I knew that my family loved me but I couldn’t wait to show them I could do things by myself.
Every time I asked my brother or my sister if I could pet One-Eyed, they would shout, “No!” or tell me that I had germs and if I touched One-Eyed he would die!I really believed them. Once I even confessed to my mom that I touched the dog when no one noticed. At first,my mom seemed very confused about what I was telling her, but then she realized. My mom scolded my brother and sister, “You better stop teasing your little brother!” Little brother! That’s exactly what I was. That really got my blood boiling! Secretly, I decided, “Ill show them what a little kid can do!”
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。
Paragraph1:That afternoon, I took the dog and sneaked into the bathroom.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:I thought my mom would punish me, but she was just standing there and laughing.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What my father wore embarrassed me! I wanted him to dress like a doctor or lawyer, but he always dressed like my father, getting up before dawn every day to make breakfast for my mother and me.
We lived in South Texas, where my father worked as a repairman. He often wore a pair of jeans and a shirt, keeping his pencils, glasses and wrenches (扳手) in his breast pocket. His boots were those with steel toes that made them difficult to pull off his feet, which I sometimes helped him with when he returned from repairing cars — his job that also shamed me.
I blamed the way he dressed. I felt that my classmates laughed at me because they’d seen him mowing lawns (修剪草坪) in cut-off jeans and black boots. My classmates’ families paid men to beautify their lawns, while their fathers travelled in the bay wearing lemon-yellow sweaters and expensive shoes.
He preferred clothes that allowed him the freedom to move under cars. So even when taking part in a school trip with me, he was dressed in his repairman’s suit. On the school bus to the campsite, all students on the bus happily chatted with their parents except me, who lowered the head, avoiding spotting my classmates’ mocking glance (讥笑的眼光) or hearing their jokes, which I thought was about nothing else but what my father wore.
I regretted telling my parents the school trip, and I was very angry why my mother had no spare time while my father happened to have a vacation. But my father failed to read my mind. He was very happy, whistling a tune along the way.
Though my father didn’t sense my bad mood, the school bus seemed as sad as I was. It drove more and more slowly and finally it stopped on the roadside. The driver got out to check the bus but found nothing wrong. Students and parents on the bus began to whisper about what was happening, worried that the delay might spoil the journey.
注意：1.续写词数应为150 左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卷的相应位置作答。
When others were complaining, my father stood up.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The school bus restarted and everyone cheered.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jeff and I had many conversations during the year, but I will always remember the time he told me about his family. His father, a successful physician, was cold and strict in Jeffs words. His father had even paved the way for Jeff to attend the same college from which he had graduated.
Jeff was twenty-seven and a successful business planner at a company — without a degree. His passion was skiing. When he graduated from high school, he decided to decline his father’s offer and, instead, to work with a ski patrol (滑雪巡逻队). With pain in his eyes, Jeff told me he still remembered the day when he told his father he was going to give up college and take a job at a ski resort.
Hearing Jeffs decision, his father looked off into the distance. Then came the words that still echoed in Jeff’s mind: “You lazy kid. No son of mine is going to work with a ski patrol and does not attend college. I should have known you’d never amount to anything!” The two had not spoken since that conversation.
Later, he was back in the area near where he grew up and he certainly did not want his father to know he was attending college. He was doing this for himself, not for his father. He said it over and over again. Jeff’s sister had always remained supportive of Jeffs decisions. She stayed in contact with their father, but Jeff had made her promise that she would not share any information about his life with him.
The day when the graduation ceremony came, I walked around talking to people before it started. I noticed a man with a confused expression.
“Excuse me,” he said as he politely approached me. “What is happening here today?”
“It’s graduation day,” I replied, smiling. “Well, that’s odd,” he said, “my daughter asked me to meet her at this address.” His eyes sparkled and he smiled. “Maybe she completed her associate’s degree and wanted to surprise me!”
I helped him find a seat.
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: As I left him, he said, “Thank you. By the way, my name’s Dr. Holstrom.”
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Paragraph 2: Jeff was the last person to cross the stage.
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My dad believed in new experiences!
I have to admit the examples from his youth fascinated me. He specialized in his adventures growing up in Omaha in the early 1900s. His brothers threw him into a lake to teach him to swim. His family kept a cow, which he led into the church at Christmas to give Baby Jesus milk at the age of four. On and on! He used those stories to urge me to fresh experiences.
One day he came home from work early and saw me watching a local TV show — Talent Sprouts, a daily con test for kids fourteen and under. It didn’t take Dad long to look me in the eye. “You should go on Talent Sprouts.” He added, “You can play ‘Ave Maria’ — an original by Schubert (舒伯特). Think of it — an unforgettable experience to be on TV as an eleven-year-old!”
I quailed (退缩). I didn’t want to. I was basically shy. But I knew it would be useless to argue, so I mailed my application with the required information. Days later, I received a notice about performance.
Dad was over the moon when I told him I had been assigned a day to perform less than two weeks away. Still, I had very little confidence in my talent. I did practice several times each day. However, I either skipped some beats or unable to grasp the rhythm well when practicing. I could never have played Schubert’s original perfectly, so I was increasingly uneasy about the coming performance.
When my Monday came, I took a bus to the TV station with my Dad. I checked in at the desk. The host of Talent Sprouts, and the musical director welcomed the participants and described the routine for us. Everything was fresh there. The crew in the auditorium pushed big cameras on wheels and adjusted lights. I waited on the seat and soon I was called.
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。
Para. 1
I went to the piano and began to play.
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Para. 2
Disappointed, I returned to my seat, where my dad was waiting for me.
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9 . During the winter break, I found my dad’s old CD player in a drawer that I had never seen before. It reminded me of the three CDs I recently bought from Mostly Books, a second-hand media store on South Street. I knew I could put the player to good use with them.
However, I was a naughty kid who broke closet doors and shelves, so my dad was often unwilling to let me borrow his things. I couldn’t decide whether to ask my dad about using the player. “Can you help me with your old CD player? I want to play some CDs,” I finally asked him after walking into his home office that day. Despite my worries, my dad said yes.
Growing up, I felt that my dad disagreed with nearly everything I did. I was frightened to take his advice because listening to him felt like going against my own ideas.
That day I looked at his office wall and saw a painting and he told me he bought it in the 1990s for a couple thousand dollars. Imagining him buying the artwork challenged my idea of him being too frugal (节俭的) and boring (没有情调的) to spend so much money on art.
This new side of my dad encouraged me to finally take the time to look for our similarities. I discovered how similar we really are while fixing the CD player with my dad, which helped me see him as someone I could relate to, instead of someone to avoid. Watching my dad prepare his old CD player for use was my first step toward understanding him. I observed several of his characters that I recognized in myself, like persistence, patience and calmness. Seeing these characters in my dad showed me how similar we are, which lowered the defenses (防御) I built against him, allowing our relationship to heal (愈合).
1. Why couldn’t the author decide whether to ask his dad about using the player at first?| A．He had no CDs to play then. |
| B．He feared his dad would say no. |
| C．He figured the CD player was broken. |
| D．He was afraid he’d break the CD player. |
| A．They often had different views. |
| B．They hardly talked to each other. |
| C．They had no similar personalities. |
| D．They were shy to speak for themselves. |
| A．He should challenge his father. |
| B．His father was very good at art. |
| C．His father was a really boring man. |
| D．He might not really know about his father. |
| A．They often argued with each other. |
| B．They greatly misunderstood each other. |
| C．They got on with each other much better. |
| D．They built great defenses against each other. |
Ella loved her new life in Skagway, Alaska, except for one thing-Grandmother wasn’t happy.
In Kansas, Ella went to Grandmother’s house every day after school, and they baked or gardened or sewed(缝纫). Then Papa announced he’d gotten a job in Alaska. She protested for weeks but finally decided to go too. Ella was overjoyed. She couldn’t imagine living any where without Grandmother.
By autumn, they were in Skagway. Ella had never known so much excitement. Grandmother, however, didn’t share Ella’s enthusiasm. As winter had set in, Grandmother mostly stayed inside and complained about the cold.
“I wish you were happy,” Ella whispered. “I wish I had a garden of sunflowers peeking through my window right now,” Grandmother said.
Ella worried that if Grandmother didn’t cheer up soon, she might return to Kansas. So she went to her friend Sara who had lived in Skagway with her Aunt Grace for three years. Ella asked her if sunflowers could grow here. “Maybe,” Sara said. “Let’s ask my aunt.” Ella liked Aunt Grace. She reminded her of how Grandmother used to be in Kansas.
Ella explained her problem and Aunt Grace told her sunflowers could grow here only in summer. “Maybe there’s another way,” Aunt Grace said. “We can make your grandmother some sunflower quilt blocks(几何拼布)that will be cheery and warm.”
Ella chose the brightest fabrics in Grandmother’s scrap bag and brought them to Sara’s house. Every afternoon Ella, Sara, and Aunt Grace sewed sunflower quilt blocks. It was slow going but enjoyable.The finished blocks reminded her of Grandmother’s garden in Kansas. It was fun to talk with Sara while they sewed, and Aunt Grace told them stories about when she was young. They always took a break for tea and cookies,too.
Lately Ella hadn’t spent much time with Grandmother. She worried that the quilt wouldn’t be finished soon enough. Meanwhile, Grandmother seemed sadder and sadder, always talking about her home and friends in Kansas. Ella wished she could tell Grandmother about the quilt, but she wanted to surprise 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。
One day when Ella came home, Grandmother was crying.
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When Aunt Grace opened the door, Ella explained why Grandmother was there.
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