1 . On Mother’s Day, surprising your mother with a delicious cake is a must. Before you order a cake, you need a Mother’s Day cake design.
Dessert(甜点) Chocolate Cake
Who in the world can say no to a cake that is chocolate inside? This cake design is unique—other than the chocolate, there are delicious and lovely desserts on top of it.
Price: $42, 6-inch/$58, 8-inch
Black Velvet Cake
Black is forever beautiful! And as mothers are a long preference for love and beauty, you can pick this Black Velvet Cake to surprise your mother. As beautiful as the cake looks outside, when you cut the cake, it is relaxing to see the red and black delicious layers(夹层)inside.
Price, $32, 6-inch/$42, 8-inch
Naked Rose Cake
We know you came across the thought of surprising your mom with a bunch(束)of flowers as gifts for.
Mother’s Day, and you should go with it. With the cake design that we bring here, you can take a floral surprise ahead. Three layers of baked batter, three layers of whipped cream, and the topping of real strawberries and real pink roses!
Price: $36, 6-inch/$48, 8-inch
Wafers and Chocolate Strawberries Cake
Does your mom love wafers? Is she a fan of chocolate? And is she also mad on strawberries? Breaking the usual round shape, here is a Mother’s Day cake design in a square, which is covered with breakable wafers on the sides. Also, there is white and black chocolate and fresh strawbemes on top of it
Price: $38,6-inch/$50,8-inch
1. How much does a 6-inch Dessert Chocolate Cake cost?| A．$ 36. | B．$42. | C．$48. | D．$58. |
| A．It’s black. | B．It’s sweet. | C．It’s square. | D．It’s round. |
| A．Naked Rose Cake. | B．Black Velvet Cake. |
| C．Dessert Chocolate Cake. | D．Wafers and Chocolate Strawbemes Cake. |
2 . When reading, my mother likes to slice a paragraph or a sentence out and attach it to the wall of her kitchen. She picks boring sentences that puzzle me. But I prefer copying favorite bright lines into a journal in soft, gray No. 2 pencil, word by word.
She doesn’t know any of this. There's nothing shocking: for our chatting. we seldom begin certain conversations though we talk on the phone weekly, sometimes making each other laugh so hard that I choke and she cries. But what we don't say could fill up rooms. Fights with my father. Small failures in school. Anything that really upsets us.
My mother has never told me “I love you, Lisa.”—as if the four-word absence explains who I am—so I carry it with me, like a label on me. The last time she almost spoke the words was two years ago, when she called to tell me a friend had been in hospital. I said, “I love you, Mom.” She stopped for a while and then said, “Thank you.” I haven't said it since, but I've wondered why my mother doesn't until I've found a poem that supplies words for the blank spaces I try to understand in our conversations:
Don’t fill up on bread. I say absent-mindedly. The servings here are huge.
My son, middle-aged, says: Did you really just say that to me?
What he doesn’t know is that when we’re walking together, I desire to reach for his hand.
It's humble, yet heartbreaking. After copying it down in my journal, I emailed it to mom, adding “This poem makes me think of you.” My mother doesn’t read poetry—or at least, she doesn’t tell me, and I felt nervous clicking “Send”.
She never mentioned the poem. But the next time I went home for vacation, I noticed something new in the kitchen fixed to an antique board: the poem. The board hung above the heater, the warmest spot in the kitchen. The poem still hangs there. Neither my mother nor I have ever spoken about it.
1. What's the function of paragraph 1?| A．To stress the theme. | B．To establish the setting. |
| C．To represent the characters. | D．To create the atmosphere. |
| A．Shaky. | B．Distant. | C．Reserved. | D．Intense. |
| A．It reminded her of mom's love. |
| B．She wanted to apologize to mom. |
| C．It suited mom's taste of literature. |
| D．She needed an interpretation from mom. |
| A．A memory of golden days. |
| B．Daughter’s gratefulness to her. |
| C．A decoration in the plain kitchen. |
| D．Daughter's understanding of her. |
3 . An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.
When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother,“Only a miracle can save him now，” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully. She hurried to a drugstore（药店）with the money in her hand.
“And what do you want?” asked the salesman. “It’s for my little brother,” the girl answered. “ He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle.” “Pardon？” said the salesman.
“My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost？” “We don’t sell a miracle here, child. I’m sorry,” the salesman said with a smile.
“Listen, if it isn’t enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”
A well-dressed man heard it and asked，“What kind of a miracle does your brother need？”
“I don’t know，” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He’s really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can’t pay for it，so I have brought all my money.”
“How much do you have？” asked the man. “$ 1.11, but I can try and get some more,” she answered, “Well，what luck,” smiled the man. “$ 1.11，the price of a miracle for little brothers.”
He took up the girl’s hand and said，“Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”
That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn’t long before Andrew was home again.
How much did the miracle cost？
1. In the eye of the little girl，a miracle might be _______.| A．something interesting | B．something beautiful |
| C．some wonderful medicine | D．some good food |
| A．she had still kept some money |
| B．she hoped not to be refused |
| C．There was no need to worry about money |
| D．she thought money was easy to get |
| A．The girl’s love for her brother. | B．The girl’s money. |
| C．The medicine from the drugstore. | D．Nobody can tell. |
| A．The doctor didn’t ask for any pay |
| B．A miracle can happen if you keep on |
| C．The little girl is lovely but not so clever |
| D．Andrew was in fact not so sick as they had thought |
4 . When Dominick Cabalo noticed four years ago that his son Nicholas, then in Grade 4, was struggling to make new friends at school, he came up with a creative way to help him “break the ice”. The graphic artist from Glendale, Calif, started creating amazing drawings on his sons brown paper lunch bags.
From Captain America to Darth Vader to Kobe Bryant, Cabalo has drawn about 400 pictures of animals, superheroes, movie characters and pop culture icons (偶像）on his son’s lunch bags. The Grade 8 student told CTV News Channel on Wednesday that he had noticed the influence his father's artwork had on social life at school.
“It would encourage a conversation. If it was a movie, then we would talk about what happened or our favorite scenes,” Nicholas said. “People I don’t talk to would start talking to me about what my father has drawn on bags.”
Although Cabalo said he couldn’t see his son’s schoolmates’ reactions to his drawings first-hand, Nicholas would often let him know which ones were hits at school. “If I do something funny or draw something quite humorous, Nicholas will report back to me and say, ‘Oh yeah, they really liked this one,’”Cabalo said.
Cabalo said his son’s favorite drawings are the ones about superheroes. He explained that, every time a new superhero movie is released (上映）,he will make sure to include that character on a lunch bag. With so many lunch bags and superhero movie series, Cabalo admits there have been a few repeated characters over the years.
1. Why did Dominick Cabalo decide to create drawings on his son’s lunch bags?| A．To become famous. | B．To show his talent. |
| C．To sell them and earn money. | D．To help his son make friends. |
| A．are popular with Nicholas's classmates |
| B．are about the latest superhero movies |
| C．express deep thoughts and feelings |
| D．influence Nicholas's classmates greatly |
| A．Animals. | B．Superheroes. |
| C．Movie characters. | D．Pop culture icons. |
| A．A Son Learns to Make Friends | B．A Son Is Influenced by His Dad |
| C．A Dad Creates Drawings on Lunch Bags | D．A Dad's Artwork on Lunch Bags Helps His Son |
5 . 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 |
6 . 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. |
7 . 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. |
8 . It was New Year’s night. An aged man was standing at a window. Few more hopeless people than himself now moved towards their certain goal-the tomb. He had already passed sixty of the age leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and regrets.
The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the serious moment when his father placed him at the entrances of the two roads. One leading to a peaceful, sunny place covered with flowers and fruits; the other leading to a deep dark cave which was endless. He looked towards the sky and cried painfully, “Oh youth, return! Oh, my father, place me once more at the entrance to life”. But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.
He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness，and these were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall from the sky and disappear, and this was the symbol of himself. Then he remembered his friends in his childhood, who entered life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were then honored and happy on that New Year’s night.
The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way with shame and grief. He dared no longer to look towards the heaven where his parents lived. He burst out a cry: “Come back, my early days!”And his youth did return, for all this was only a dream on New Year’s night. He was still young though his faults were real. He had not yet entered the deep dark eave, and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.
1. Which of the following words can best describe the aged man?| A．Confident. | B．Selfless. |
| C．Regretful. | D．Fortunate. |
| A．The man’s friends missed their youth. |
| B．The man’s friends suffered failure finally. |
| C．The man wasted his life at one time. |
| D．The man was lonely in his childhood. |
| A．The old man didn’t take his father’s advice. |
| B．The old man was enjoying his journey. |
| C．The old man’s father accompanied him during the journey. |
| D．The old man was like lights in the darkness. |
| A．A Special New Year’s Night | B．An Old Man’s Hesitation |
| C．Youth Coming Back | D．Two Roads to Take |
9 . Almost every light comedy or situation comedy makes me feel like I should be drinking wine every night with my best friend while one of us tries on clothes. Not only should we share the same dress size, but we should also have a long, rich history of togetherness and secrets. Clearly, this is not reality.
I have 598 friends. OK, but if I’m honest, 99.3 percent of those friends are those I met only once or acquaintances who live too far away to see regularly. That leaves 4 people, who I can call anytime, not feeling like I’m absolutely wasting their time. The remaining 0.2, I’ve decided, is my houseplant. I can tell it anything.
Feeling the same way? You’re absolutely not alone. Most of us find our “people” in school, but over time life changes: marriage, kids, etc. We grow out of our relationships and they grow out of us.
So when the relationships come to an end, how do you find a new one?
A woman in my apartment building, who I had seen around over the years, approached me one day and introduced herself. She bravely stated, “You seem cool. Do you want to hang out with me sometime? I’m looking for new friends.” I almost dropped my bag of groceries at her social honesty. And now we get together for coffee a few times a year, gossip (八卦) about the neighbors, and take in the mail when one of us is on vacation. But a few times a year isn’t enough for me.
So, what counts as true friendship as you get older? For me, it’s feeling comfortable enough to be myself. And if you’re like me, it’s also trust — not just keeping the secret, but trusting that my life choices aren’t their gossip elsewhere.
1. What do the numbers in Paragraph 2 show?| A．The author has some unusual friends. | B．The author has very few real friends. |
| C．The author is fond of phoning her friends. | D．The author doesn’t like most of her friends. |
| A．The author was a little careless. | B．The author was glad at the request. |
| C．The author was shocked by the request. | D．The author was carrying something heavy. |
| A．It is really difficult to find. | B．It can show one’s genuine belief. |
| C．It is really hard for people to understand. | D．It can make people have a sense of security. |
10 . You are from a middle-class family, and live in a normal-size home without any showy possessions, but you are surrounded by surprising consumption (消费). This contrast is beginning to bother your 6-year-old son. You are worried that he will want to live as they do, and wonder if you should move.
Sometimes big pocket money, joyful birthday parties, special playrooms and super-big houses tell you that your neighbors probably have more money than you do, and that they’re not as careful as often as you do, talk with them as freely and read to them every night.
Or you may find that some of these parents stay in one wing of their big house while their child plays by himself, way off in a wing of his own. In that unfortunate case, he is basically growing up alone without being looked after properly, but this can happen to a child who lives in normal-size house, too, if he has a TV, a computer and a few video games in his room. Even the most caring parent doesn’t walk in and out of it to see what show her child is watching, what Internet site he has found and if he’s still playing that video game.
Too much uncontrolled screen time may lead to a certain loss of innocence (天真), but mostly this child will lose the sense of unity and satisfaction that comes from being in a family.
A neighborhood should also provide you wit, a sense of unity and satisfaction, and if it doesn’t, you might decide to move. Don’t judge your neighborhood too demandingly, though. There are some things that are right with almost any neighborhood and some things that are wrong with the best of them --- like those super-big houses. The wealth of their owners --- and the way they throw money around --- may make you son feel sorry for himself, unless you help him understand that you and his dad save some of the money, give some to people who don’t have enough and use the rest to pay for whatever the family needs.
Children want---should be provided with --- explanations when their parents don’t give them what they want.
1. What is the problem with the worried parents in the text?| A．Her house isn’t as big as her rich neighbor’s. |
| B．Her son is left alone without anyone in charge. |
| C．She cannot provide her son with a special playroom. |
| D．She worries about the effect of her neighbors on her son. |
| A．spend more time with their children | B．give their children more freedom |
| C．work hard to lead a richer life | D．set an example for their children to follow |
| A．spend money carelessly | B．save money for their children |
| C．help the poor people willingly | D．leave money all round the house |
| A．Children are unfortunate to have poor parents. |
| B．Children should enjoy their comfortable life. |
| C．Children need proper guidance from their parents. |
| D．Children feel ashamed of themselves in a rich neighborhood. |
