1 . My mother used to take me to my grandparents’ in Belgium during the school holidays. While I would play chess with my grandfather, he would tell me stories about growing up, falling in love, and travelling around the world.
I didn’t realize the importance of preserving memories until my grandfather passed away, which ultimately changed my outlook on remembering our loved ones and the stories we share. I thought about solutions to help other people record the precious memories for those they love—before it’s too late. So I began matching ghostwriters (代笔人) to clients to help them write a book as smoothly and beautifully as possible, and Story Terrace was born.
Since then, we have explored the power of stories and their ability to connect us with our past and make sense of the present. It has been documented that increased family connection is significantly linked to less loneliness. Learning more about one’s family history, however, has been linked to boosting emotional health, increasing compassion and providing a deeper sense of cultures and traditions.
What we have found through our own research is that so many of us have missed out on the opportunity to explore our origins. 56 percent of Brits agreed that much of their family history is lost because they are no longer able to speak with the person who knows the most about it. A further 51 percent expressed regret as they wished they could tell their younger self to document their family’s life story, feeling that most of it had been forgotten. But when it comes to telling these stories, many don’t know where to begin.
We have seen numerous times when people come to us with random journal entries and notes from over the years, and these can be developed into a wonderful work of art that can be passed down for generations to come.
Half of the projects we see at StoryTerrace are heritage stories, with family occupying a dominant theme for most stories. Alongside this, common themes we see are of course love, overcoming challenges, settling in new surroundings and so on. However, family is a thread that always ties these together.
1. What does Story Terrace do?| A．It boosts the mood of your family members. |
| B．It gives treatment to people with mental illness. |
| C．It links people from different cultures together. |
| D．It helps turn your beloved one’s stories into a book. |
| A．Why StoryTerrace matters. |
| B．How StoryTerrace functions. |
| C．What StoryTerrace focuses on. |
| D．Where StoryTerrace beings your story. |
| A．It is part of the national heritage. |
| B．Its stories are mostly about family. |
| C．It dominates half of the market. |
| D．Its stories gain much popularity. |
| A．Family Stories Worth Telling |
| B．Create Your Own Story Books |
| C．Documents of Family History |
| D．Preserve Memories with StoryTerrace |
2 . In my hometown, Oklahoma, the dirt goes everywhere. When my sister, Faye, and I walk to school, we cover our mouths so we don’t breathe in the dirt. Mama says all the dust is due to the drought(干旱).
Last Sunday, there was no dirt in the air, only bright spring sunshine and a clear blue sky. After church, Papa went to the field to check on the cattle while Mama started dinner. Faye and I played in the yard. Then the temperature suddenly dropped, and Mama shouted from the house, “Iris, you and Faye get inside, real quick now!”
I looked to the west and saw a huge black cloud of dust. “Faye, go with Mama!” I shouted. “I will warn Papa.” Covering my face with one hand, I struggled my way toward our family car and got in. The storm hit so fast that the day turned into night in an instant. Papa was still out there! I needed to help him find the car. I turned on the front lights, but would Papa see them in the thick darkness? I pushed the horn (喇叭) again and again, hoping Papa would hear it.
Suddenly, to my great surprise and relief, Papa’s face appeared at the window. He opened the door and climbed onto the seat next to me. After Papa shut off the car’s lights, we huddled together in the darkness for hours. I worried the dirt would bury us.
Finally, the wind subsided and the dust began to settle. We got out and reached the front porch just as Mama and Faye came out from the house.
“I’m safe thanks to Iris,” Papa said. “The car’s horn led me to shelter.”
“I’m so proud of you,” Mama said to me.
Tears of joy streamed down my dirty checks because our family had survived the horrible storm.
1. When the storm came, Iris went to the car to_____.| A．help her papa stay away from the storm | B．turn to her papa for help |
| C．send the car for her papa to drive | D．tell her papa about her safety |
| A．Surprised. | B．Happy. | C．Worried. | D．Proud. |
| A．got up | B．came along | C．went on | D．died down |
| A．Love for Papa | B．Drought in Oklahoma |
| C．Rescue on black Sunday | D．Papa trapped in the storm |
3 . Chase Poust is a 7-year-old boy. He and his dad Steven, as well as his 4-year-old sister, Abigail were out for a family boating trip on Florida’s St. Johns River near Mandarin Point. Chase and Abigail were swimming at the back end of the anchored (停泊的) boat while Steven was on deck fishing.
It was a pleasant outing—until a strong wave came. It was too strong for Abigail to hold onto the boat. Instantly realizing his sister would be swept away, Chase let go of the boat as well to try and reach her.
Steven jumped into the water but after realizing he couldn’t keep up with both kids, he was faced with a hard decision, “I told them loved them because I wasn’t sure what’s going to happen,” Steven told News-4 JAX. “I tried to stick with both of them. I wore myself out. She drifted away from me.”
Directing Chase lo swim to shore for help, Steven stayed behind, keeping as close as he could to Abigail as the life-vest that was keeping her above the waves floated further and further from his reach.
It was a tough go for the 7-year-old but rather than attempting to swim all out, Chase wisely paced himself. Stopping to float or dog paddle when he was tired, he’d rest and then set off again. It took Chase an hour to reach the shore. Once on solid ground, he ran to the nearest house and called for help.
Rescuers arrived soon to search for Steven and Abigail. Miraculously, the two were found and rescued about an hour later—more than a mild away from the family’s abandoned boat.
1. What happened during the family boating trip?| A．Chase went out fishing one. | B．The boat ran into an anchored boat. |
| C．Steven fell off the boat by accident. | D．Abigail was washed away by a wave. |
| A．He couldn’t stay close to both kids. | B．He didn’t know how to swim. |
| C．He couldn’t find rescuers nearby. | D．He wasn’t sure what might happen. |
| A．To hold Abigail tightly. | B．To look for helpers. |
| C．To wait calmly in the water. | D．To give the life-vest to Abigail. |
| A．Brave and clever. | B．Innocent and kind. |
| C．Proud and patient. | D．Honest and helpful. |
4 . Growing up, I understood one thing about my dad: He knew everything. I asked him questions and he told me the answers. In my teen years, he taught me things I’d need to know to survive in the real world. How to drive a stick shift. How to check your car tire’s pressure. When I moved out on my own, I called him at least once a week, usually when something broke in my apartment and I needed to know how to fix it.
But then, eventually, I needed him less. I got married, and my husband had most of the knowledge I lacked. For everything else, we had Google. I don’t know when it happened, but our conversations devolved into six words.
Me: “Hi, Dad.” Him: “Hi, sweets. Here’s Mom.”
I loved my dad, but I wondered at times if maybe he had already shared everything I needed to know. Maybe I’d heard all his stories.
Then, this past summer, my husband, our four kids, and I moved in with my parents for three weeks while our house was being renovated (翻新). Dad asked me to help him rebuild the bulkhead (舱壁) at their dock. I didn’t hesitate, but I was dreading it. It was hard, manual labor. We got wet and sand. But as we put the new bulkhead together piece by piece, my dad knowing exactly what went where, I looked at him.
“How do you know how to build a bulkhead?”
“I spent a summer in college building them on the Jersey Shore.”
I thought I knew everything about my dad. But I never knew this. I realized that maybe it’s not that there’s nothing left to say. Maybe it’s just that I’ve spent my life asking him the wrong questions.
Weeks later, after my family and I moved back into our renovated house, I called my parents. Dad answered. “Hi, sweets,” he said. “Here’s Mom.” “Wait, Dad,” I said. “How are you?” We ended up talking about the consulting he was working on.
To anyone else, it would sound like a normal conversation between a dad and his daughter. But to me, it was novel. Now I talk to him because I want to.
1. After marriage, who did the author turn to for help when she meet problems?| A．The neighbours | B．Her mother | C．Her father | D．Her husband |
| A．Interest | B．Fear | C．Thrill | D．Satisfy |
| A．The author asked her father silly questions. |
| B．The author thought her father knew nothing. |
| C．The author didn’t care enough about her father’s life. |
| D．The author fully know her father. |
| A．The method of fixing a refrigerator. |
| B．My father’s college experience. |
| C．Something interesting about my father’s current job. |
| D．The furniture of my renovated home. |
5 . He passed away many years ago. Father of the year (年度最佳父亲), my dad was not. That said, in some ways, he was a better parent than many dads are today.
He loved to attend my hockey (曲棍球) games. He tied my skates for years when I was young. But he didn’t go to a single one of the hundreds of soccer games I played as a kid. I didn’t care. All I wanted from my parents was a ride to the game. I was there to see my friends, not perform for Mom and Dad.
That’s why I don’t understand helicopter parents, the ones who suffer from great guilt and shame if they can’t make every single piano practice or football game. Your kids probably don’t care. Let them go and have some fun. All that matters is that you drop them off and pick them up on time. Consistency is king.
Of course, when kids are really young, they want to spend time with you. And they want you, the parent, to be focused on spending time with them, not checking your phone. “Wherever you are, be there,” said the great Jim Rohn.
My dad never had a cell phone. He never used the Internet. I don’t even think he ever touched a computer. But even if he did have a phone, I can’t imagine him checking when we would play catch in the backyard.
He was present. Every day in the summer, right after lunch, we’d play catch. He’d teach me how to throw a curve ball (曲线球). Sometimes he’d pitch to me, and when he’d hit me with a fastball, he’d say, “That’ll toughen you up.” We’d play until we lost all of the balls in the garden, not until he was distracted by a cellphone. Jim Rohn would have approved of his presence, although perhaps not his attitude about fastballs.
1. What’s the author’s attitude towards his father?| A．Ashamed. | B．Satisfactory. | C．Critical. | D．Sympathetic. |
| A．The parents who can fly helicopters. |
| B．The parents who pick up their kids on time. |
| C．The parents who enjoy participating in sports. |
| D．The parents who focus too much on their kids. |
| A．To tell parents to stop using their cell phones. |
| B．To tell parents to keep in touch with their kids. |
| C．To tell parents to value the time with their kids. |
| D．To tell parents to follow their kids wherever they go. |
| A．His father was low. | B．His father was rude. |
| C．His father was energetic. | D．His father was present. |
6 . How to Teach Your Child to Be a Good Friend
Your child who struggles with making friends and maintaining friendships may exhibit some behavioral issues. Physical aggression and name-calling often arise. A quiet character and social anxiety can also lead to difficulty making friends
Instill self-esteem(灌输自尊思想). The first step in teaching your child to be a good friend is to teach them to take pride in themselves.
Teach social skills.
Find teachable moments. As a parent, you may run into situations where your child doesn’t act like the best friend they could be. Your child may have moments of conflict, drama and fights with their friends. Try to turn these moments into teachable moments.
| A．Read books about friendship to your child. |
| B．Encourage your child to share their favorite books. |
| C．Fortunately, it’s not difficult for you to be a good friend. |
| D．Appropriate social behavior isn’t what a person is born with. |
| E．Ask them how a good friend would have acted in the situations. |
| F．However,there are many ways to help your child develop friendship skills. |
| G．When a child has a strong sense of self, they won’t join in mean behaviors to fit in. |
7 . When I was about seven years old, my mother often told me that pork needed to be cooked thoroughly-the harder, the better, because if there was even a little bit of pink in your pork，you could get Trichinosis (旋毛虫病).I didn’t know what Trichinosis was. However, it was described to me as a terrible disease that I didn’t want to get. Therefore, in my life, I hadn’t eaten any pork product before checking to see if it was fully cooked. On most days, I even refused to eat any pork.
Years later, I became a middle-aged father. I was eating dinner in a friend’s house and she was serving pork. I was terrified at some pink in it. I immediately explained to our host and the other guests the danger that was clearly present in this meal. I insisted that the pork should be cooked further, thinking that I had saved everyone with my quick-thinking and keen awareness.
It was only after I went home that evening that I decided to see how many people in our country actually got Trichinosis. I checked online and found out there were less than 15 cases in the entire country that year, and I wasn’t even sure those were from eating undercooked pork.
As adults, we may say things casually to children because we want them to be safe. We may make things seem more dangerous or worse than they actually are. After all, we want children to take what we say seriously. However, we can also overemphasize something and cause fear in children that they may carry with them for the rest of their lives. The bottom line is that our children are listening to us all of the time, and we are setting a good example to them about how adults communicate.
1. How did the author behave when he ate pork as a child?| A．Confusedly. | B．Casually. | C．Cautiously. | D．Curiously. |
| A．Proud. | B．Angry. | C．Calm. | D．Foolish. |
| A．Check the quality of pork. |
| B．Give his explanation about pork. |
| C．Prove his data analysis of Trichinosis right. |
| D．Find the truth about people with Trichinosis. |
| A．Adults should set a good example to children. |
| B．Children’s behavior may cause fear in parents. |
| C．Children often do the opposite of what adults say. |
| D．Parents’ words may have lasting effects on children. |
8 . As you are growing and changing, you have more responsibilities and also more freedom to spend time with other people. While you may feel ready to make your own decisions about where and when to go, your parents will put limits on you. So you may find you are arguing with your parents more than you used to. The reason why your parents do this is that they care about you and want to protect you from danger.
Here are some tips for how to avoid and handle arguments with your parents:
(1)Discuss the rules ahead of time and not at the last minute. This way you will be able to learn their opinions before you make plans. Your parents can also explain to you why each rule is in place. Ask them to give you the chance to explain how the rules make you feel and suggest what you think are right rules. Your parents may be willing to listen to your ideas and use them when making rules that you both agree on.
(2)Try to remain calm when your parents say no to something. You will show your parents that you are responsible and mature(成熟的) by talking instead of shouting.
(3)Spend time with your family. Some teens argue with their parents over the amount of time they spend with their friends. Communicate with each other and make some special family time so that you can all enjoy the time you spend at home. Suggest activities that your whole family will enjoy together such as going on a hike, taking a bike ride, or going to the beach.
1. Your parents limit your activity mainly because they .| A．are worried about your safety |
| B．are afraid it will affect your study |
| C．think the thing you’ll do is bad |
| D．want you to be with them at home |
| A．you have to obey |
| B．you and your parents have discussed |
| C．your parents make |
| D．you and your parents can both accept |
| A．argue with them |
| B．control yourself |
| C．fight for your freedom |
| D．not listen to them |
| A．To build up their bodies. |
| B．To visit more places of interest. |
| C．To make parents happy. |
| D．To make children and their parents get along better. |
9 . New Year gift ideas for parents
Getting gifts for your parents on New Year 2021 does not have to be that hard.
A restaurant gift card for dinner.
After all those busy schedules and tough work routines, your parents definitely need a relaxing break on New Year’s Day. You can send them a restaurant gift card.
Joy and happiness.
When parents get old, they appreciate family joy time. They love partying with their grown-up sons and daughters, and spending time with their grandchildren.
A sweet New Year wish from children can bring a smile on your parents’ face. So, wish them a Happy New Year 2021 and make them feel extra-special. Write a beautiful New Year wish on a greeting card, and present it to your mom and dad with a nice bouquet of bright flowers.
Other than all this, you can also perform a secret check in your parents’ home and make a list of things that you think should be gifted to them for this New Year.
| A．This is why the new year starts with it. |
| B．Treat them to a nice dinner on New Year’s Eve. |
| C．New Year 2021 marks the beginning of the new calendar year. |
| D．Here we show you some best New Year gift ideas for parents. |
| E．Giving them a greeting card or sending them a New Year text message. |
| F．To fulfill this wish of your parents, you can arrange a grand family get-together. |
| G．That gift can be any gift that makes them remember you when they use it. |
10 . Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited at times, loving them is a normal part of life.
Tell them you love them every morning. The gentle “Good morning” and “I love you” will warm a coldest heart. Remember that they brought you into this world.
Respect them more and value the moments with them. You can use these moments to learn from them, preparing yourself for the day when you’re off on your own. It’s OK to get angry but anger doesn’t help you or your parents.
Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem as if you are going through hell when you don’t get what you want.
| A．Keep them company. |
| B．Parents will in turn volunteer to express their love for you. |
| C．You love them because they created you and raised you. |
| D．Act calmly, write down your feelings, or talk with your friends. |
| E．Please remember parents are the dearest people for us in the world. |
| F．However, you should remember it is your parents who love you and protect you. |
| G．Without your parents, you might still wander at an unknown corner in an unknown world. |
