1 . One summer night in a seaside cottage, a boy felt himself lifted from bed. Then, with the swiftness of a dream, he was held in his father’s arms out onto the nearby beach. Overhead the sky blazed with stars. “Watch!” Incredibly, as his father spoke, one of the stars moved. In a line of golden fire it flashed across the astonished heavens. And before the wonder of this could fade, another star leaped from its place, then another, plunging towards the restless sea.
“What’s this?” the child whispered.
“Shooting stars. They come every year on a certain August night. I thought you’d like to see the show.”
That was all: just an unexpected glimpse of something mysterious and beautiful. But, back in bed, the child stared for a long time into the dark, knowing that all around the quiet house, the night was full of the silent music of the falling stars.
Decades have passed, but I remember that night still, because I was the fortunate boy whose father believed that a new experience was more important for a small boy than an unbroken night’s sleep. No doubt I had all the usual childhood entertainment, but those are forgotten now. What I remember is the night of the shooting stars, and the day we rode in a caboose (列车末尾的职工车厢), the telegraph we made that really worked, and the “trophy table” in the dining room where we children were encouraged to exhibit things we had found — anything unusual or beautiful — snake skins, seashells, flowers, arrowheads... I remember the thought-provoking (引人深思的) books left by my bedside that pushed back my horizons and sometimes actually changed my life.
My father had, to a marvellous degree, the gift of opening doors for his children, of leading them into areas of splendid newness. This subtle art of adding dimensions to a child’s world doesn’t necessarily require a great deal of time. It simply involves doing things more often with our children instead of for them or to them.
1. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 4 mean?| A．The child was still immersed in the beautiful scenery just now. |
| B．The child was too frightened to fall asleep because of darkness. |
| C．The child wanted to listen more to the music about falling stars. |
| D．The child felt grateful to his father for what he showed him. |
| A．unusual and novel | B．dangerous and demanding |
| C．strange and uncommon | D．educational and thought-provoking |
| A．Parents should interfere more with their children’s learning. |
| B．Parents should push their children to try to do everything on their own. |
| C．Parents should devote energy to exploring new things for their children. |
| D．Parents should encourage children to be curious and explore new things in life. |
| A．Limitless knowledge | B．Father, the hero of my life |
| C．Curiosity aroused that night | D．The unusual things in my life |
2 . Perhaps you know two people would get on well—if only they would speak to each other. Your shy friends aren’t intentionally avoiding one another; it is just not in their nature to strike up a conversation. You can help things along by greasing (润滑) the wheels of social interaction.
Make Introductions
The first step to getting two shy people to talk to one another is to offer an introduction.
Ease Anxiety
Find Mutual Interests
Give your shy friends a reason to talk. Figure out what they have in common and let them know about it. For example, if Josh and David are both into watching the UFC, make an introduction and a comment about the latest fight.
Get Active
Shy people have trouble living in the moment. They tend to think about past weaknesses or worry about future social obstacles rather than focus on the current situation. Put your shy friends in a situation that forces them to stop thinking so much and have a little fun. Ideally, your shy acquaintances should have to work together to overcome an obstacle—similar to what happens at company party.
| A．Some shy people are their own worst critics. |
| B．Most shy people are hesitant to offer a handshake or a name. |
| C．You might need to include yourself in the conversation at first. |
| D．Don’t worry that your shy friends will feel that you are interfering. |
| E．Promote the conversation by easing the anxiety shared by your shy friends. |
| F．They will come away with a shared experience and hopefully a tighter bond. |
| G．Getting to know the likes and dislikes of your shy friends will make this easier. |
3 . Five years ago, my husband and I bought a former farm. It’s a short ride from our Vancouver home but a world away. As we restore the land, I feel my well-being returning, but I think the farm is also working its magic on our son’s growing resilience (适应能力). Since Dev was 20, he has lived with mental illness. We have been on this journey with him from crisis to recovery.
It has taken a couple of years to clear the land, seed the lawn (草坪) and build garden beds. But we did it even as other parts of our life had come undone. The farm was holding our family together. We come over on weekends and holidays and have been planting.
Before he went to treatment, we planted a “guild” in the old apple farm.
The desire to recover this land has grown in me.
| A．We helped ourselves by helping others. |
| B．We also learned how to depend on others. |
| C．My son had great difficulty making a recovery. |
| D．I have seen this drive toward restoration in my son as well. |
| E．Just when it couldn’t get any worse, an unexpected light occurred. |
| F．During this time, Dev is concentrating on his own restoration process. |
| G．Its aim is to support the health of trees by grouping other surrounding components. |
4 . For children, communication with older adults is important when visits with grandparents are called off because of the pandemic(流行病).
Even before COVID-19 sent older adults into hiding, grandparents and great-grandparents could often seem like strangers to kids. Contact might include gifts of toys meant for someone a little younger, forced piano performances by parents, and really bad jokes. So, coming up with what to say to those out -of-touch people through a camera can be hard. It can be a lot of pressure for kids.
Yet keeping up with older relatives has mental and physical health benefits for everyone. According to studies, older adults who participate in programming between generations show more happiness, better self-care. And a strong relationship between grandparents and grandchildren can lessen depressive tendencies(抑郁倾向) in both adults and kids.
Having an actual relationship with a grandparent can also help children develop qualities that make all-around great citizens. “Children are born to be me, me, me,” says Tina-Anne Praas of SKIP, an Ontario-based organization. “But seeing a person who has experienced life stages pulls them away from that thinking. They can gain some worldly points of view.”
Being close with a grandparent can also help children develop communication skills, especially when they’re able to learn about and compare their experiences with a grandparent’s. And it doesn’t carry the pressure of talking to a parent.
Tina-Anne Praas adds that students who were worried about life after graduation eagerly listen to older adults sharing their own experiences from the same time of life, 50-plus years ago. One student says, “My interactions(互动) with my grandparents encouraged me to become a physician.”
1. What causes much stress for kids?| A．Playing the piano in public. |
| B．Communicating with grandparents online. |
| C．Buying gifts for other younger children. |
| D．Being out of touch with parents for a long time. |
| A．Seeing an experienced person. |
| B．Kids’ own ideas about the world. |
| C．Children’s care of themselves only. |
| D．Keeping contact with grandparents. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Uncertain. | D．Worried. |
| A．listening to stories online |
| B．watching what they do daily |
| C．forming new ideas about themselves |
| D．communicating and interacting with them |
5 . It is common for children to feel like your parents are too reserved in letting you live your own lives.
Identify controlling behaviors
Accept responsibility for your actions. Though your parents may be controlling. you are responsible for how you respond to them.
Take a break if problems continue. If things begin to go “right back to normal," you may need to cut down on your time with your parents again. This does not have to mean cutting off all ties to your parents. It often just means that things have got too close for them (or you) to follow through.
| A．Try not to get defensive |
| B．Face your parents respectfully |
| C．Some parents are demanding of their children |
| D．Spend a little more time apart. and try again later |
| E．When your parents want you to be a perfectionist |
| F．Though there are many reasons for your parents to control you |
| G．You decide whether to let them control your decisions. or stand up to them |
6 . Developing Interpersonal Relationships
One of the biggest keys to happiness is having strong interpersonal relationships. I believe that relationships are key to leading a fulfilling and contented life. Like anything worth having in life, they take some work to develop and maintain.
In the spirit of clarity, it’s good idea to take a quick look at the definition of interpersonal relationships.
For instance, I’ve had strong short-lived relationships with people I’ve worked with on a project as well as one for 50 years with my brother. My two best friends and I live in different cities but, we get together several times a year and have a great time. I have a mentor I worked with over a decade ago I still stay in touch with because we get along so well.
We will briefly touch on developing interpersonal relationships. Best way to approach it is to be a good partner or friend as the situation desires.
| A．That’s how interpersonal relationship affects you. |
| B．Interpersonal relationships serve to ease people’s anxiety. |
| C．For instance, ensure you are a good person to work with. |
| D．All of these are examples of strong interpersonal relationships. |
| E．Put some effort into it and you’d be amazed at how that pays off |
| F．An interpersonal relationship is a strong association between people. |
| G．If you’re on a team, it should be something you’d like to help out with. |
7 . A Great Way to Teach Children to Take Responsibility
As parents, one of the most important things to teach children to take responsibility is to include chores as a part of their daily routine. In order to make a family function smoothly, every member must contribute. Teaching your children to take responsibility at an early age makes it easier for them to shoulder greater responsibilities as they grow older.
Make rewards and punishments a part of the lesson. Together decide whether they will be rewarded or not.
Children need to be taught that there are punishments for their actions in case of not doing their assigned chores. Decide and agree from the start what the punishment will be.
Teaching your children the importance of contributing to the family is of great importance.
| A．A chore is a specific task a child has been assigned which helps improve the life of the entire family. |
| B．And what punishment they will receive if a chore isn’t done. |
| C．Actually you are taking a critical step in empowering them for their future. |
| D．Start by teaching children the difference between a chore and cleaning up after themselves. |
| E．Teach children the importance of each assignment, and why it matters. |
| F．Children will not be rewarded at all for merely cleaning up. |
| G．And if so, what the reward will be for a job well done. |
8 . How do you get to Carnegie Hall(卡内基音乐厅)? "Practice, practice, practice" is the well known answer. But for some inspiring young musicians from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul, the road to the famous concert hall was more difficult.
The Afghan Youth Orchestra(AYO) is made up of young people who study at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. It was the first orchestra created in Afghanistan in 30 years.
Gulalai Norestani, 14, plays a traditional string instrument. Like many students. Gulalai became an orphan when her parents were killed during the ongoing war. Music is her salvation (救星) . "Music for me is a language of peace," Gulalai said. "It connects people."
Milad Yousufi, t 8, is a piano student. "Music is my life," he said. Milad also lost many of his family members during the war. When music was banned, he couldn’t even touch a piano. So as a 12-year-old boy, he started painting and drawing. "I used to draw a piano," he said. Finally, Milad was free to play a real piano. "Our dream came true," he said. "It is everyone's dream to play in Carnegie Hall."
And he has more dreams. "I have a dream to continue my education in America," he explained. "I am working hard to make that happen. Then t have a dream to come back to Afghanistan and teach and serve people."
Because of continuing limits in Afghanistan, Gulalai and Milad listen mostly to the king of classical music they played at Carnegie Hall. But Gulalai says she' s heard a bit of Jennifer Lopez and Shakira and she likes them. Milad says he has heard of Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, but Msn' t vet had a chance to listen to them.
Before Milad went onstage that night with the band of Afghan kids who had survived a war, I asked him if he had ever experienced true peace. "No. not yet," he answered, adding, "I hope I will be able to."
Later during the performance, as he played one of Carnegie Hall’s famous grand pianos, the look of pure joy on his face convinced me that he found peace in music.
1. What is Gulalai’s opinion on music?| A．It calms her down in the war. | B．It makes people understand each other. |
| C．It is a kind of violent language. | D．It saves her from the killing at war. |
| A．To serve his country . | B．To play a real piano. |
| C．To further study. | D．To play in Carnegie. |
| A．Classical music is not played in Afghanistan. |
| B．Gulalai knows Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber well. |
| C．The music Gulalai and Milad can hear is limited. |
| D．MiNd likes Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. |
| A．Traditional Afghan Music | B．Young Musicians |
| C．A Better Performance | D．A Peace in Music |
9 . With at least a dozen wildfires going through western North Carolina in the fall of 2016, it would take more than one local fire department to fight the flames. In early November, the federal government sent over a team of firefighters from the Interagency Hotshot Crews.
Most of the Hotshots stayed at Hinton Rural Life Center in Hayesville, North Carolina. The center reached out to the media and community groups, hoping to get four volunteers per day to help things run smoothly for their firefighting guests. They didn’t expect a response quite so unbelievable.
Within two days, over 200 people—about a third of the town’s population—reached out to offer help, according to the center’s website. Meals and accommodation were already being taken care of, so they went above and beyond the basic things. Community members donated over 1,000 goods, including sports drinks, snacks, eye drops and so on.
Even the kids in Hayesville participated, sending thank-you cards, pictures and signs to motivate the Hotshots. The team received over 2,000 thank-you notes. After the fires were put out and the firefighters were preparing to go home, the town threw a parade（游行）to thank them and wish them well.
The firefighters were at a loss by the generosity from Hayesville. They put together their own thank-you in a YouTube video.
“You guys don’t know how much you mean, all the support you guys give us, ’’ says Ron, a firefighter from Oregon, in the video. “Out of four years when I’ve been fighting fire, this is about the most hospitable（好客的）state and county I’ve ever been in. And it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.”
1. What is unexpected according to the text?| A．The difficulty in putting out wildfires. |
| B．The firefighters’ contributions to the town. |
| C．The locals’ attitude towards the center’s request. |
| D．The firefighters’ response to the wildfires. |
| A．It is a large town. |
| B．It is a small town. |
| C．It is a wealthy town. |
| D．It’s tough to live in. |
| A．To show how cute they were. |
| B．To encourage the firefighters to be grateful. |
| C．To lead in the reason for creating the YouTube video. |
| D．To stress the locals’ enthusiasm for the firefighters. |
| A．They felt very moved. |
| B．They were kind to the locals. |
| C．They were welcome everywhere. |
| D．They were confident about their work. |
10 . Many of us live with a roommate at some stage. Sometimes, there can be problems. Who hasn’t had an argument about whose turn it is to take out the rubbish or who should be the one to clear up after dinner? However, living with another person also comes with many benefits.
You know that there’s always someone else around, which can help you feel safer. There is always someone to talk to, so you never feel lonely. Besides these obvious benefits, there are some you may not notice. For example, we’re actually more likely to eat healthier food when living with others.
To examine the effect of living alone, Australian university researchers did much research and found that people living alone tended to eat less fresh food, which can have a significant negative effect on long-term health. However, those living with others generally benefited from a more varied diet compared to those living alone.
What could explain these findings? The researchers believe the social and cultural roles played by cooking, food preparation and eating may be important considerations. For example, those living with friends have someone else to go shopping with, and thus are likely to buy higher-quality fresh food regularly.
Cooking skills may be another factor. If people living alone find they do not have the knowledge required to prepare a particular dish or cook a certain food,they may fall back on ready-made, less healthy food. However, if they live with at least one other person, they may be able to ask for help.
In addition, people living alone can eat whatever they want at any time of the day or night. However, it’s helpful to have someone around who questions your decision to eat frozen pizza at 3 am. In other words, roommates can draw your attention to unhealthy routines.
So,if you now live alone and find yourself fighting a losing battle against poor eating habits, why not consider sharing a home with someone else? You could encourage one another on to greater health and well-being.
1. The author uses the first paragraph to ______.| A．introduce the topic of the text | B．remind readers of their roommates |
| C．show the problems of living with others | D．recall the experience of sharing a room |
| A．The reasons for living with others | B．the benefits of having a roommate |
| C．the way of dealing with a roommate | D．the importance of communicating with others |
| A．hunt for | B．cut down on |
| C．depend on | D．give up |
| A．To explain why roommate have arguments. |
| B．To tell readers every coin has two sides. |
| C．To encourage people to have a roommate. |
| D．To persuade people to develop healthy eating habits. |
