1 . It was my mother who first thought of sending me to school．Of course I was of the school going age．When my mother expressed it，I thought that she was a heartless woman．
My mind was disturbed at first．Although I had heard about school，I had not visited it earlier．My father took me to school which was an unknown place for me．Teachers and students were strangers to me．It was a big building with a wide yard．As a small child I could not feel frightened at the sight of the building．The atmosphere of the school was calm and quiet．I was not used to such atmosphere earlier．
It was an old and famous school in our district．My father was student there in his childhood and youth．The headmaster was well known to my father and greeted him with a smile．My father introduced me to the headmaster and requested him to admit me to the school．Then I was enrolled as a student．My father left me in the classroom and went away．I was about to cry．
However，the kind behavior of the headmaster and the class teacher calmed me．The class teacher asked my name and where I lived．He patted me on the back．I replied some of his questions quickly．He became pleased．Other students looked at me curiously．At first，I was not able to understand why there were so many teachers．The bell rang．The class teacher left our class and another teacher came．Then the bell rang again．
1. It can be inferred form the second and third paragraphs that ．| A．I hated the atmosphere of school at first |
| B．I had known nothing about school earlier |
| C．Teacher and students were strangers to me |
| D．I thought my father was as heartless as my mother |
| A．He was famous all over the city． |
| B．He was my father's class teacher． |
| C．He left my father in the classroom． |
| D．My father had known him well． |
| A．Another class began |
| B．A hard maths class began |
| C．Stories about my best friend |
| D．The memory of a pleasant sports game |
| A．My new teachers |
| B．My first day at school |
| C．My terrible childhood |
| D．The first school I studied in |
2 . Friendships can be sources of joy and sources of sorrow. There isn’t exactly a rule book on what to do when things get tense or bad.
Broken promises
Jan Yager, a specialist in this field often hears from people who’ve been hurt by a friend’s broken promise. Dr. Yager likes to point out we don’t have formal contracts with friends where we’ve agreed to never disappoint each other. Therefore if you bring a fantasy about what the ideal friend will do in any situation to a relationship,
When things feel unbalanced
Maybe you feel like you’re always sharing about your life, but your friend doesn’t open up about hers. It’s common for relationships to experience periods where things are unbalanced. Maybe one friend is going through a breakup and needs extra support. It’s also possible another friend simply has more to discuss at any given time.
It doesn’t feel great when you check Facebook Monday morning to find out that your friends went on a weekend getaway without you. Scott Christnelly, another specialist, says, “I encourage clients to express their feelings about it but also not to jump to conclusions.” Then find someone else to talk to — maybe, a family member, or a close friend (not the one who went on the trip) — to explain how you feel. If you do make conversations,
| A．Feeling left out |
| B．Feeling stressed out |
| C．you are expecting too much of your friend |
| D．you are setting yourself up for disappointment |
| E．you can brainstorm what might have happened and how you will respond |
| F．In times like these, it’s important that you practice becoming a better listener |
| G．Here are tips on how to manage the common relationship difficulties from specialists |
3 . Like Indiana Jones (a fictional character), who undertakes daring adventures in his spare time, my father is a businessman by day and a thrill-seeker by night.
His enthusiasm rubbed off on me, and I have been lucky to be his companion on many adventures. We started out by riding America’s fastest, most twisted roller coasters. After that a whitewater rafting trip through the Grand Canyon（峡谷）on the Colorado River started our search for other extreme thrills across the globe.
Amazing thrills awaited us at every corner of the world. Skydiving was especially thrilling when performed from a helicopter over the breathtaking Swiss Alps. We have bungee jumped from the world’s highest platform, Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa. Most recently, in Interlaken, Switzerland, we attempted canyoning（溪降运动）.
Anyone who loves a challenging thrill should try canyoning. Our adventure began with a 90-foot rope down a canyon wall into a rushing ice-cold river. Then we crossed the bone-chilling water toward the mouth of the river, our final destination, where the reward for the journey would be a whole view of the beautiful Interlaken basin. We slid over slippery rocks at one moment, jumped from waterfalls and swam through underwater tunnels the next. Back and forth we alternated, climbing rope ladders before going back into the fresh mountain water. Certainly, danger was waiting for us in each of these activities, but that very danger provided the rush. Canyoning was indeed one thrill after another, from beginning to end.
While canyoning is possible only in certain places, thrills and adventure can be found anywhere. Our beginnings in the U.S. showed us just that. We continue to seek the big thrills, but in doing so, we have learned to seek lesser excitement in daily life as well. After all, we can’t go canyoning every day, and small thrills are better than none for us thrill-seekers.
1. What do we know about the author’s father?| A．He is a very successful businessman. |
| B．He is doing a part-time job. |
| C．He likes Indiana Jones very much. |
| D．He enjoys experiencing adventures. |
| A．relate to | B．keep off |
| C．affect | D．confuse |
| A．Jumped down from waterfalls and swam across the icy water. |
| B．Jumped down a canyon river and crossed it. |
| C．Climbed over a rope ladder and swam through underwater tunnels. |
| D．Climbed down a canyon wall and swam across the rushing icy river. |
| A．Small thrills in daily life are worth a try as well. |
| B．We had better go abroad to experience canyoning. |
| C．Canyoning is not suitable for everyone. |
| D．America is the most proper place to experience adventures. |
4 . Judy Wright and her husband decided to move closer to their son, Chris, who lived in Georgia. About a month after the move, Judy fell ill, suffering from her ongoing battle against Parkinson’s disease.
Her condition worsened rapidly and she required medical care at home. The family hired a nursing aid who canceled at the last minute. Instead, a woman named TunDe Hector showed up in her place.
One day, TunDe shared a story with Judy and her family. She remembered a particularly difficult day in 2014, when a stranger had helped her with a kind gesture. She had run out of gas, and with only $5 in her pocket, was walking to a gas station, gas can in hand. A man saw her walking and turned his car around. He paid for her gas and gave her all the cash left in his wallet. Upon hearing the story, Judy’s son, Chris, took off his hat and said, “That was me!” He was the stranger that had helped TunDe on that difficult day.
During the care of Judy, the Wright family learned about TunDe’s family and her own dream. The nursing aid, TunDe hoped that one day she could become an OB-GYN nurse. Her tuition was past due (逾期) and she had a family to care for, but she was determined to achieve that goal for herself and her family.
Judy died on July 9, 2017. Instead of flowers, her family asked mourners (悼念者) to donate to TunDe’s education, to assist her in paying for her nursing school. In less than a week, they raised more than $8,000 and presented her with the surprise check.
1. Why did Judy’s family choose TunDe in the end?| A．To help her with a kind gesture. |
| B．To replace another nursing aid. |
| C．To look after Judy in the hospital. |
| D．To give Judy the best medical care. |
| A．Astonished | B．Upset |
| C．Puzzled | D．Moved |
| A．They paid for her education. |
| B．They helped care for her family. |
| C．They helped her realize her dream. |
| D．They bought her a surprise present. |
| A．Kindness comes full circle. |
| B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．The truth never fears investigation. |
| D．Constant dropping wears stone. |
5 . 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 |
6 . Guinness World Records Set by Kids
♦ The youngest club DJ
Oratilwe A J Hongwane likes putting in more efforts when playing music for a crowd. In 2012, he became the youngest club DJ—he was five when he played a one- hour set to 100 people at a bar in South Africa. Known in the business as DJ Arch Jnr, he broke the record previously held by a six-year-old in Japan.
♦The most viewed video game-unboxing video
Kids love watching someone unbox a new purchase—especially if it's something they can't get themselves. Maybe that's why more than 25 million people have watched YouTube HD. What's really cool about Evan is that he actually donates most of the toys to those in need. He also uses his popular YouTube channel to draw people's attention to worthy organizations for helping the poor.
♦The youngest drummer
The rules of Guinness World Records say a drummer must record a real song and be paid for his skills and that the drummer must give at least 20 concerts of 45 minutes or longer within five years. At the age of just four Julian Pavone met all those qualifications.
♦The fastest assembly (组装)of 10,000 Lego pieces and the longest Lego chain
A group of school kids in New Jersey went for their world records to increase public awareness about a fellow student who is suffering from a rare and deadly disease. The group put together 10,000 Lego pieces in just three hours, breaking the old one by five hours. They also set the record for the longest Lego chain, which ended up at 947 meters, beating the old record by 40.
1. Who is devoted to charity?| A．Oratilwe A J Hongwane. | B．Evan. |
| C．DJ Arch Jnr. | D．Julian Pavone. |
| A．He has recorded 20 real songs. |
| B．He gave at least 20 concerts at five. |
| C．He must earn a lot of money by recording. |
| D．He was qualified for the Guiness World Reords at four. |
| A．To help a sick schoolmate. |
| B．To inspire team spirit. |
| C．To prevent a rare disease. |
| D．To make their school famous. |
7 . 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. |
8 . 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” |
9 . I live on the West Coast of British Columbia with my husband and three children. Our day started like any other day. My husband left for work in the north of the town, which is an hour and a half’s drive. The younger children caught their bus to school ten minutes away. Our oldest attends high school and is a 40-minute drive away. I work at home in the office, working on the computer.
It was November 2006 and the news had reported gusty winds. When the winds started to get strong I shut the computer down and tried to phone my husband. I left a message telling him the winds were blowing at 80 to 90 km/hr. As I hung up the phone, I heard a tree crack. I went outside and stood in the driveway. Another tree exploded and my heart was racing.
When the school bus carrying the youngsters arrived, I ran to get them. No sooner had we made it to the house than another tree exploded. The children were clearly scared, so I loaded them up into the car and we parked in the middle of the yard, where no trees could land on us, it was starting to get dark.
My oldest son didn’t come home on the bus and my husband was stranded at work. I called the high school and reached my son. He said he was stranded and didn’t know what to do. I called a friend in town for help. He managed to get my son home to me. Finally, my husband managed to get home.
We had been prepared for such events, as we had a generator, candles, a wood stove, fresh water, batteries and two freezers full of food. We were without power for five days. But we didn’t panic―we had all the emergency equipment we needed. Thankfully, none of our neighbours were injured, but the damage was extensive. We are witnessing climate change. We need to be prepared.
1. When did the mother hear a tree crack for the third time?| A．When she was on the phone. |
| B．After she hung up the phone. |
| C．Right before she and her kids went into the house. |
| D．Right after she and her kids got into the house. |
| A．It was dark inside the house. |
| B．It was safer there than in the house. |
| C．She wanted to wait for her family there. |
| D．She wanted to receive help from others. |
| A．Busy completing his work. |
| B．Under the pressure of work. |
| C．Stuck at the workplace. |
| D．Worried while working. |
| A．Everyone made it home. |
| B．They encouraged each other. |
| C．The power would very soon be restored. |
| D．They had got all the necessities for emergency. |
10 . Everyone gathered around and Paddy read out loud, slowly, his tone growing sadder and sadder. The little headline said: BOXER RECEIVES LIFE SENTENCE.
Frank Cleary, aged 26, professional boxer, was today found guilty of the murder of Albert Cumming, aged 32, laborer, last July. The jury (陪审团) reached its decision after only ten minutes, recommending the most severe punishment the court could give out. It was, said the judge, a simple case. Cumming and Cleary had quarreled violently at the Harbour Hotel on July 23rd and police saw Cleary kicking at the head of the unconscious Cumming. When arrested, Cleary was drunk but clear-thinking…
Cleary was sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labour. Asked if he had anything to say, Cleary answered, “Just don’t tell my mother.”
“It happened over three years ago,” Paddy said helplessly. No one answered him or moved, for no one knew what to do. “Just don’t tell my mother,” said Fee numbly. “And no one did! Oh. God! My poor, poor Frank!”
Paddy wiped the tears from his face and said, “Fee, dear, pack your things. We’ll go to see him.”
She half-rose before sinking back. Her eyes in her small white face stared as if dead. “I can’t go.” she said without a hint of pain, yet making everyone feel that the pain was there. “It would kill him to see me. I know him so well — his pride, his ambition. Let him bear the shame alone, it’s what he wants. We’ve got to help him keep his secret. What good will it do him to see us?”
Paddy was still weeping, but not for Frank; for the life which had gone from Fee’s face, for the dying in her eyes. Frank had always brought bitterness and misfortune, always stood between Fee and himself. He was the cause of her withdrawal from his heart and the hearts of his children. Every time it looked as if there might be happenings for Fee, Frank took it away. But Paddy’s love for her was as deep and impossibile to wipe out as hers was for Frank.
So he said, “Well, Fee, we won’t go. But we must make sure he is taken care of. How about if I write to Father Jones and ask him to look out for Frank?”
The eyes didn’t liven, but a faint pink stole into her cheeks. “Yes. Paddy, do that. Only make sure he knows not to tell Frank we found out. Perhaps it would ease Frank to think for certain that we don’t know.”
1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?| A．Frank was found guilty of murder because he was a professional boxer. |
| B．The family didn’t find out what happened to Frank until three years later |
| C．The jury and the judge disagreed on whether Frank had committed murder. |
| D．Frank didn’t want his family to find out what happened because Paddy disliked him. |
| A．Frank did kill someone and deserved the punihment |
| B．Frank should have told Fee what had happened |
| C．what had happened to Frank was killing Fee |
| D．Frank had always been a man of bad moral character |
| A．Fee was so heart-broken that she could hardly stand up |
| B．Fee didn’t want to upset Paddy by visiting Frank |
| C．Fee couldn’t leave her family to go to see Frank |
| D．Fee struggled between wanting to See Frank and respecting his wish |
| A．Son and brother. | B．Son and husband. |
| C．Brothcr and lover. | D．Lover and husband. |
