1 . My son Leon’s passion (热爱) for surfing began at the age of 13. Before and after school each day, he put on his wet suit, picked up his equipment, swam out beyond the surf line and waited to be challenged by his friends.
One afternoon, the lifeguard reported over the phone to my husband Wilson that Leon’s eye was badly injured by his board. Wilson rushed him to the emergency room, where he received 26 stitches (缝线) from the comer of his eye to the bridge of his nose. I was on an airplane flying home from a meeting while Leons’ eye was being stitched. Wilson drove directly to the airport after they left the doctor’s office. He greeted me at the gate and told me Leon was waiting in the car.
“Leon?” I questioned. I remember thinking the waves must have been bad that day. “He’s been in an accident, but he’s going to be fine,” said my husband.
A traveling working mother’s worst nightmare (恶梦) had come true. I ran to the car so fast the heel of my shoe broke off. I swung open the door, to see that my youngest son had a patch (眼罩) over his eye and was leaning toward me crying, “Oh, Ma, I’m so glad you’re home.” I cried in his arms, telling him how awful I felt about not being there when the lifeguard called. “Its OK, Mom,” he comforted me. “You don’t know how to surf anyway.”
“What?” I asked, confused by his logic. “I’ll be fine. The doctor says I can go back in the water in 8 days,” said my son.
I wanted to tell him he wasn’t allowed to go near water again until he was 35, but instead I bit my tongue and hoped he would forget about surfing. For the next 7 days he kept pressing me to let him surf again. One day after I had repeated “No” to him for the 100th time, he beat me at my own game. “Mom, you taught us never to give up what we love,” he said. And I gave in.
Back then Leon was just a boy with a passion for surfing. Now he is a man with a responsibility. He ranks among the top 25 professional surfers in the world. Passionate people stick to what they love and never give up.
1. How did the author feel when she knew Leon was at the airport?| A．Delighted. | B．Angry. |
| C．Excited. | D．Surprised. |
| A．He still held onto his dream firmly. |
| B．He decided to follow his mom’s advice. |
| C．He felt like the accident was a nightmare. |
| D．He felt disappointed for being unable to surf for long. |
| A．Brave and creative. | B．Optimistic and reliable. |
| C．Responsible and humorous. | D．Enthusiastic and determined. |
| A．Hard work will always pay off. |
| B．It’s dangerous for beginners to surf. |
| C．We should stick to our passions whatever happens. |
| D．Parents can’t care about children’s safety too much |
2 . One evening, when I asked my 17-year-old son, Ray, for help with dinner, his response took me by surprise. “What’s a colander (漏勺)?” he asked.
I could only blame myself. In the family, nobody’s hands went in the sauce except my own. But as I explained with a touch of panic that a colander is the thing with holes in it, I wondered what else I hadn’t prepared Ray for. Suddenly it hit me: He’d be leaving the house in a year to attend college. No way was I going to send a spoiled prince into the world.
As parents,while we focus on our children’s character,we are also raising someone’s future roommate, husband, or father. I’d raise a boy who would never ask the woman in his life, “What’s for dinner?” So, I came up with a plan to offer Ray a private home economics course. Gladly, he didn’t say no.
For two hours, three days a week, Ray was all mine. One day, as his tomato sauce reduced on the stove, he washed and seasoned a chicken for roasting. Then he rolled out the piecrust and filled it with apples, all while listening to my explanation on the importance of preheating an oven.
One day we covered Advanced Laundry, in which I taught him never to mix a red sweatshirt with white. I knew that he would rather have been shooting hoops in the driveway than learning to mend socks with his mother - he tried to beg off sewing lessons - but it couldn’t be denied that he was learning, and more than just housekeeping. “I appreciate what you do as a mom,” he told me one day.
Ray now understands the finer points of cooking, and more importantly, he realizes there s nothing masculine (男子气概的) about being helpless. Not only can he make his own dinner, but also he can make a big meal for his family. That’s what I call a man.
1. Hearing her son’s question, the author felt ________.| A．angry | B．disappointed |
| C．shocked | D．calm |
| A．Ray’s lack of basic living skills. | B．Ray’s absence in the kitchen. |
| C．Ray’s leaving to attend college. | D．Ray’s misunderstanding of a colander. |
| A．Ray preferred sewing to cooking. |
| B．Ray made great progress in cooking. |
| C．Ray thought doing housework was helpless. |
| D．Ray was unwilling to take the course originally. |
| A．fell in love with housework | B．did other work in the house |
| C．acknowledged his mother’s efforts | D．began to be more independent |
3 . Today's world is not an easy adjustment for young adults. Key skill set for success is persistence (毅力), a characteristic that researchers say is heavily influenced by fathers. Researchers from Brigham Young University discovered that fathers are in a unique position to help their adolescent children learn persistence.
BYU professors Laura Padilla-Walker and Randal Day arrived at these findings after following 325 American families over several years. And over time，the persistence gained through fathers led to higher achievement in school.
"There are relatively few studies that stress the unique role of fathers，"Padilla-Walker said. "This research also helps to prove that characteristics such as persistence-which can be taught-are key to a child's life success.”
Researchers determined that dads need to practice an "authoritative" parenting style. Authoritative parenting is not authoritarian:rigid，demanding or controlling. Rather，an authoritative parenting style includes some of the following characteristics:children feel warmth and love from their father；responsibility and the reasons behind rules are stressed children are given an appropriate level of autonomy(自主权).
In the study，about 52 percent of the dads exhibited above-average levels of authoritative parenting. A key finding is that over time，children raised by an authoritative father were significantly more likely to develop persistence，which leads to better outcomes in school.
This particular study examined 11 to 14-year-olds living in two-parent homes. Yet the researchers suggest that single parents still may play a role in teaching the benefits of persistence，which is an avenue of future research.
1. What is special about the BYU professors' study?| A．It centered on fathers' role in parenting. |
| B．It was based on a number of large families. |
| C．It analyzed different kinds of parenting styles. |
| D．It aimed to improve kids' achievement in school. |
| A．Ignore their demands. | B．Make decisions for them. |
| C．Control their behaviors. | D．Explain the rules to them. |
| A．Single parents. |
| B．Children aged from 11 to 14. |
| C．Authoritarian fathers. |
| D．Mothers in two-parent homes. |
| A．Three Characteristics of Authoritative Fathers. |
| B．Key Skills for Young Adults to Succeed in Future. |
| C．Children Tend to Learn Determination from Father. |
| D．Family Relationship Influences School Performance. |
4 . It has been four years since Grandma Joy told her grandson that she had never seen the most beautiful views of America. Since then, they have gone on many cross-country trips.
Brad Ryan had been feeling tired of studying in a vet school when he visited his 85-year-old grandma in 2015. He hoped that spending some quality family time would help lift his spirits.
As he was telling his grandma stories of his travels, however, he was heartbroken to hear that she had never seen the ocean or mountains. Ryan then asked his grandmother if she would like to go hiking with him. Needless to say, she was more than happy to agree.
They have since visited 29 different national parks across America---from the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado to the Acadia National Park in Maine. Over the four years, Ryan and his grandma have driven 25,000 miles through 38 states. And it has greatly affected his quality of life. “Seeing it through my grandmother’s eyes, who every morning wakes up and is thankful to be alive has taught me how to live,” Ryan said. “With her, I’ve had to slow down and see life in a different way, which has made it a lot richer.”
“I love my grandma so much, and it’s just really giving me a lot of peace when she passed away. I can go back to these places, feel her spirit, and feel connected to her,” he added.
Ryan posted all of their trips on Facebook. He hopes more young people will spare time to be with their elders. “I want young people to know that hanging out with your grandparents is cool. And there’s so much we can learn from our elders,” Ryan said.
1. Why did Brad Ryan visit his grandma in 2015?| A．To cheer himself up. |
| B．To please his grandma. |
| C．To take his grandma to travel. |
| D．To share his travelling experiences. |
| A．Shocked. | B．Sad. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Excited |
| A．She made him live a better life. |
| B．She helped him find his life goal. |
| C．She told him to have peace of mind. |
| D．She gave him a lot of encouragement. |
| A．To advise young people to take a trip. |
| B．To share his joy of travelling with his grandma. |
| C．To encourage the young to keep their elders company. |
| D．To show young people what they can learn from their elders. |
5 . If there was a subject at school that made me anxious, it was science. Maybe that’s because in my tenth grade, I couldn't understand my physics teacher's instructions, causing me to accidentally set fire to the classroom. So, when my husband and I decided to home-school our daughters, we made a deal: he would teach science, while I would handle everything else. But that’s not how things have been going these past few weeks, since my husband has been too busy to teach the girls.
Recently, while out on my morning hike before starting lessons, I noticed that the sky was a beautiful blue, and the air was filled with the sweet smell of flowers. That s why I decided that the day’s lessons would be taught outside, although I remembered that my daughters hadn't had any science classes from my husband for a while.
I returned to the house to get the girls ready. We headed up into the forest, settling ourselves by a pond that rarely has any visitors. My daughter Saoirse started to pick up pond weeds and catch frogs, while my other daughter Ula looked at me, waiting to be instructed. I handed her a drawing board and colored pencils. "We wait, "I told her, " and see if something comes along. In the meantime, just draw what's around you.”
We worked for more than an hour, hardly speaking. A bird flew across the water, and then settled in a front of a fallen tree. I quickly told Ula, worried that she’d not seen the creature. But she had, and she started drawing it. An hour later, she’d not finished her picture and I stared down at it. She drew the bird on her paper with amazing accuracy. But there was one other interesting fact about this drawing: she also drew me, sitting beside her.
I realized, as I stared at this child's drawing of us watching a bird, how I'd lived for 40 years, gathered 10 years of higher education, and never understood the foundation of science before this moment. The foundation of science is a sense of wonder; it isn't about accurately reciting words from a textbook. It is first and foremost about stepping outside our busy lives and amazing at the world around us.
1. How did the author feel about science when in school?| A．She was nervous about it. | B．She was fond of it. |
| C．She was confused about it. | D．She was eager for it. |
| A．the fallen tree | B．the forest |
| C．the bird | D．the picture |
| A．She's very outgoing. | B．She's good at observing. |
| C．She's very hard-working. | D．She shares interests with her sister. |
| A．Attention to accuracy. |
| B．Curiosity about the outside world. |
| C．Determination to find out the truth. |
| D．Ability to understand teachers' instructions. |
6 . As we all know, friendship is of great importance in our daily life. A friend can give us help and share our difficulties and happiness. But how to make friends is still difficult for some of us.
Be friendly to others.
Be reliable. If you and your friends agree to meet somewhere, don’t be late. If you’re not going to make it on time or make it at all, call them as soon as you realize it.
Encourage and support your friends: A true friend always gives encouragement to his friends.
| A．Be a good listener. |
| B．A friend to all is a friend to none. |
| C．When you say you’ll do something, do it. |
| D．He will stay with them in good as well as bad times. |
| E．The following information can give you some tips. |
| F．Smile at others and you are sure to get a smile in return. |
| G．A true friend should always share the same interest with you. |
7 . Desiree was only four when she lost her Dad. Instead of gradually adjusting to his death, Desiree refused to accept it and even wanted to die so as to be with her father. Concerned about her daughter, Rhonda turned to her mother, Trish Moore, for help.
November 8 of 1993 would have been Ken’s 29th birthday. So Trish advised Desiree to send her father a card. Desiree’s eyes lit up as she dictated a letter, “Happy birthday, Daddy. I love you and miss you. I hope you get this and can write to me on my birthday.” Trish wrote the message and their address on a small piece of paper and tied it to the end of the string on a balloon with a drawing of the Little Mermaid (美人鱼). Finally, Desiree released the balloon.
On November 12 in eastern Canada, Wade MacKinnon was duck-hunting. Suddenly something in the bushes caught his eye. Curious, he approached to find a silver balloon. The letter finished with a mailing address in Live Oak, California. The balloon traveled 3,000 miles. What a coincidence! A Little Mermaid balloon landed at Mermaid Lake. To help Desiree, the MacKinnons wrote her a letter with a birthday card and an adaptation of The Little mermaid.
The MacKinnons’ package arrived later on Desiree’s birthday. The letter read, “Happy birthday from your daddy. You must be wondering who we are. Well, it all started... There are no stores in heaven, so your daddy picked us to do the shopping. We know your daddy loves you very much and wants you to be happy and not sad. Lots of love, the MacKinnons.”
Tears in eyes, Desiree said, “I knew Daddy would find a way not to forget me.” Next, Trish began to read the Little Mermaid to her, in which the mermaid was finally carried away by angels. “The mermaid goes to heaven just like Daddy!” Desiree said with delight. She understood then her father was with her always.
1. Why did Rhonda ask her mother for help?| A．Her husband passed away too young. |
| B．She wanted to free Desiree from sorrow. |
| C．Desiree kept her distance from her father. |
| D．She had no time to read books to Desiree. |
| A．It travelled a long distance for several days |
| B．It was decorated with some silver strings. |
| C．It landed just at the MacKinnons’ house. |
| D．It was tied with the book the Little Mermaid. |
| A．Demanding. | B．Humorous |
| C．Caring. | D．Generous. |
| A．A Fantastic Adventure of a Balloon | B．A New Story of the Little Mermaid |
| C．A Heartbreaking Experience of a Girl | D．A Magic Response from “Heaven” |
8 . With the help of the car manufacturer (汽车制造商) Hound, a 13-year-old girl was able to send a message to space, where her dad works on the International Space Station (ISS).
“He gets to live and work in space and he is doing lots of experiments up there. He has to stay there for long periods of time... I miss him when he is gone,” Stephanie, who is from Houston, Texas, said in a video. “I think if we could write a really big message he would be able to see it from space.”
Hyundai took her wish to heart and decided to take on the challenge. Using Nevada’s Delamar Dry Lake as a canvas (画布), 11 drivers drove Hyundai cars, spelling out “Steph♡s you” across 2.14 square miles of desert. A promotional video, which Hyundai made to record the process, caught her father’s response and showed the picture he took of her message from the ISS.
“I am happy that he could see it and knows that we are thinking about him back home,” Stephanie said. “He has seen so many things up there, but I hope that this message was the most special.”
There are many misunderstandings about what can and cannot be seen from space. Contrary to popular belief, the Great Wall of China cannot be seen from space, but many seemingly less important things can be seen.
“A farmer from Louisiana could be burning wastes in his backyard, and it would make a big smoke trail that astronauts could see it from space,” Mike Gentry, a photo researcher for NASA’s human-tended vehicles. And with a special camera, they can see the earth in great detail and even keep up an eye on their favorite sports teams.
1. What can we know about Stephanie’s father?| A．He likes taking picture. | B．He spends little time at home. |
| C．He works in a car company. | D．He often sends messages to his daughter. |
| A．By offering a free ride. |
| B．By taking her to a guided tour. |
| C．By replaying her father’s response. |
| D．By making a large picture with cars. |
| A．A moving car. | B．A standing farmer. |
| C．The Great Wall of China. | D．The smoke of burning rubbish. |
| A．Send Love to Space | B．A Girl of Great Talent |
| C．Observe the Earth Far Away | D．A New Way to Explore Space |
9 . “It’s really cool to have a dad who flies fighter jets,” thought 11-year-old Casey as she was watching him fly overhead.
Living on an Air Force base was not as bad as some people might think. Casey rather enjoyed being around friends who had something in common with each other. They had their own school, bowling area, and movie theatre. She especially loved it when her dad would come home each day and greet her with a new joke and tickles.
Today was different, though. When her dad walked into the room, he looked sad for some reason. He just kissed her on the forehead and told her mum that he needed to talk to her. Casey knew something was wrong.
When her mum and dad came out of the other room, mum was crying. Dad sat down and began to explain that he had been called to go to Iraq to help with the war effort. Casey was so surprised that she couldn’t speak for a moment. She began to feel tears in her eyes. How could she live without her dad for a whole year?
Soon, the day came. Her dad was leaving. As Casey and her mom watched him climb up the steps to his cockpit, the tears began to flow and it felt like they would never end. It was hard for Casey to believe that she wouldn’t be her dad for so long. They depend on him for so many things. who would fix the broken window? Who would greet her with jokes and tickles at the end of the day? And then the thought hit her, “What if he doesn’t make it home?” Casey began to sob more than ever.
1. According to the story, one thing Casey enjoyed on the base was that ________.| A．there was a friendly girl of her age living next door |
| B．she could travel around in her father’s jet |
| C．her friends had something in common with her |
| D．her dad was going to fight abroad |
| A．Casey’s dad volunteered to help with the war. |
| B．Casey’s parents didn’t let her know the truth. |
| C．Casey’s dad amused her in the morning usually. |
| D．Children living on the base could see movies in their theater. |
| A．Casey was worried that they couldn’t live without her father. |
| B．Casey saw her father off at the airport. |
| C．Casey’s dad looked sad. |
| D．Casey’s father left home. |
10 . My mother, a nurse at Stony Brook University Hospital, worked at night so that she could come home in time to send me to school. She'd sleep during the day and be ready when we returned home before heading out again in the evening. This went on for 23 years. She never complained (抱怨). No matter how tired she was, she always had enough energy to be my mom.
She often had to work on Christmas, Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve, and sometimes Thanksgiving, which made me upset. However, before holidays she always decorated the inside and outside of our house. She'd also have cookies baking in the oven, a holiday-themed movie in the VCR, and music playing throughout our house for us. But when it was time to go to work, there was no room for debate. “Why do you have to work on this day of all days?" I'd ask sadly. "They need me, too, dear son," she'd respond, compassion (同情) in her tone.
For a long time I didn't understand why she should care so much about those sick strangers. Recently, as my grandmother became ill, I found myself spending more time in hospitals. The scenes I saw in the hospital made me see the different side of my mother. The nurses checked heart, blood and oxygen levels, made sure patients were comfortable. They lifted patients in and out of bed and helped them to the bathroom. Beyond their duties, the nurses displayed consideration for each patient.
What I saw helped me to understand why my mother was devoted to her occupation. I was filled with more admiration for my mother.
1. Why did the author's mother work in the evening?| A．To take him to school. | B．To enjoy a movie. |
| C．To decorate their house. | D．To sleep during the day. |
| A．The mother loved her patients more than her kids. |
| B．Nurses are paid double salary working on holidays. |
| C．The author wished his mother could stay home on holidays. |
| D．Only people with mercy on patients will make good nurses. |
| A．he asked his mother to stay with him during holidays |
| B．he looked after his sick grandma in hospital |
| C．he saw how tired his mother was after work |
| D．he helped patients to the bathroom |
| A．Children of nurses are often dissatisfied with their mothers. |
| B．Nurses are particularly busy at work during holidays. |
| C．The author gained a new appreciation of his mother. |
| D．The author's mother liked doing housework. |
