1 . The spring before our son Hank was scheduled to enter kindergarten, we were invited to the school's “Kindergarten Round-up”. The title led me to believe that Hank and I would be enjoying a fun night.999
We arrived to find several on-the-spot tests to see where Hank ranked academically. Somewhat nervously, I watched as Hank recited the alphabet (字母表), counted as high as he could, and arranged blocks in a series of confusing patterns. So far, so good. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“All right, Hank,” the tester said, “just a few more easy questions.” Then she explained to me that she wanted to hear what Hank thinks was the logical thing to do in certain situations. I smiled and nodded, but inside I felt a fresh flash of panic. What if Hank couldn't reach any logical conclusions?
After several dialogues, like “Eating too much sugar?” “Tooth decay!”, the tester nodded her head. “Okay, Hank, tell me what you'd do if you went into a dark room.” Without thinking, Hank said, “Be brave.”
The tester waited a moment before promoting, “What else would you do? Wouldn't you turn on a light?” “Oh, yeah,” Hank said, “if I could reach it.”
Obviously, being brave wasn't the expected answer, but as I listened, all I could think about was how many events awaited him when bravery would be enormously helpful. While it's smart to turn on a light, it never hurts to be brave while you're waiting for your eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. From the mouth of my child, I realized that I'd handed my son advice that applied to my life just as much as it did to his.
Hank and I left the "Kindergarten Round-up" with a light heart, both believing he was going to be just fine.
1. What’s the purpose of the “Kindergarten Round-up”?| A．To evaluate kids' academic level. |
| B．To help kids pass kindergarten tests. |
| C．To let parents learn about kindergarten. |
| D．To please pre-schoolers. |
| A．Pleased. | B．Relaxed. |
| C．Worried. | D．Confident. |
| A．She taught Hank an important lesson. |
| B．She was happy about Hank's answer. |
| C．She got valuable advice from the tester. |
| D．She was dissatisfied with the tester's reaction. |
| A．No Need to Turn on a Light | B．Kindergarten Will Just Be Fine |
| C．A Fruitless Kindergarten Round-up | D．Being Brave Is the Same Important |
2 . Making friends at school can be a little difficult — but it doesn’t have to be! Try out a few of these methods to talk to people in your class and hang out with them outside of school. Before you know it, you’ll have a group of friends to have fun with every day!
■友好。
Using proper body language will help, Stand up straight, make eye contact with people, and smile! Try to avoid crossing your arms over your chest and looking closed off. The more open and friendly you look, the more people will want to get to know you.
■在__期间坐在一张新桌子上。
Look for tables with an open seat. If you’re feeling a little nervous, pick a table that only has one or two people sitting down. Head over and ask if you can sit there, then join in on the conversation. If you like the people you sit with, ask if you can join them again the next day.
■尝试运动队。
Pick a sport that you like (it could be soccer, basketball, softball, baseball, or anything in between), and try out for the team. Over time, you could become good friends with some of the other people on your team! If your school doesn’t have a sports team, try looking for one at your local community center.
■加入课后俱乐部。
Meet friends who have the same hobby as you. Ask a teacher or your parents for a list of after school activities and pick 1 or 2 of them that you’re the most excited about. Introduce yourself to everyone when you attend your first club meeting to meet new people and start a fun conversation.
1. 哪个词最适合"____"？| A．假期 | B．类 | C．会议 | D．午餐 |
| A．如何与陌生人交谈 | B．如何结交朋友 |
| C．如何开始对话 | D．如何选择活动 |
| A．在校学生 | B．学校教师 |
| C．年幼的父母 | D．年长的父母 |
3 . When you sleep somewhere else — like at summer camp or a friend’s house — you know you’re in for a fun time. It can be exciting to get away from the same old bed in the same old room in the same old house. But fun as this is, for some kids being away from home can be scary and sad. They want to go and have fun with their friends, but once they’re there, they start to miss their good old bed, their good old parents, and all that everyday stuff at home. It’s called being homesick (想家的).
Homesick means you’re upset, sad, and maybe scared. But don’t feel surprised. A lot of people get homesick, even grown-ups. When you’re used to having certain people and things around you, it can be scary when they’re gone. When you’re dealing with other problems, you will feel homesick, too. Some kids may feel more homesick than usual if their parents are getting divorced or if someone they loved has recently died.
Here are some ideas to help you feel less homesick.
Bring a little bit of home with you. If you’re going away from home, bring your pillow or pictures of the people you’ll be apart from and look at them any time you want.
Keep busy. The more fun stuff you do, the less time you’ll have to feel homesick. Try to join in activities wherever you are.
Stay in touch. You can make a plan for when you’ll call your mom or dad. You can also email or text message to stay in touch with family and friends. When you do get in touch with someone, make sure to talk about the fun things you’re doing!
Talk to someone where you are. Maybe you can tell a friend that you feel homesick. He or she might have some ideas to help you feel better.
1. One feels homesick doesn’t mean he is ________.| A．upset | B．sad | C．scary | D．full |
| A．Kids can keep in touch with their family with telephone |
| B．You can tell friends you are feeling homesick |
| C．Bringing some familiar things with you can help to feel less homesick |
| D．Only kids get homesick, grown-ups never feel homesick |
| A．they are dealing with the problems |
| B．the people and things they get used to are around them |
| C．someone they loved has recently died |
| D．their parents are getting divorced |
| A．Homesickness |
| B．Why Do You Feel Homesick |
| C．How to Be Less Homesick |
| D．When Will Kids Feel Homesick |
4 . True friends are hard to find. You often think you can believe in someone, but later he or she may let you down.
A true friend is someone who will always be there for you. Through good times or bad times, they will stand by your side.
You will find that there is nothing more valuable than having a true friend by your side to share life with. Just as someone puts it “
| A．Friendship is a two-way street. |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Offer them the same things they give to you. |
| D．A true friend is a person who always plays with you. |
| E．They will not leave you alone when things get difficult. |
| F．True friends will keep your secrets as you will keep theirs. |
| G．There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. |
5 . Lucio Arreola is going to have a surprising Father's Day this year. He finds every day is surprising now. Arreola is 50 years old, the father of three daughters and a banking manager in Puerto Rico. On April 20, doctors performed a transplant to implant inside him the heart of a dead 25 year old man whose name he may never know, but to whom he and his family will always be grateful.
Arreola was told he had a heart muscle disease 15 years ago that weakened his breathing and circulation. He went on a series of medications. while he and his wife. Elena raised three daughters. They worried about their father's health. He worried about their happiness.
"I live for them."he said. "I worried if I could do what a father really should do for his children. But I knew if they were going to grow up, they had to treat me like a normal person, not a patient."
"One day up one day down." he said. "Some days dark, some light. But what hap-pens."he says."is that when the sun is out, you really feel it. Every breath is sweet. You see the trees people. You hear your daughters laugh and it's like birds singing. You tell yourself.‘There's no time in life for anything but love.'"
Liz Laguaite, a hospital music therapist(理疗师).told the Arreola family.“Why don't you try to write a song together about what you've been through and what you've learned?"They decided to try. Lucio Arreola had worried that illness might make his daughters see him their father. as weak. But instead of frailty, they mostly saw his courage to live on and positive attitude towards life. And he says their love was his powerful heart that gave him faith. hope and courage.
Arreola says he's learned that human hearts are weak. But a family's love is lasting for a long time. The Arreola family has recorded the song they ereated while Lucio recovers. It begins with the strong beat of a father's loving heart.
1. Why does Arreola feel surprised every day?| A．He gets promoted at bank. | B．He gets more confident. |
| C．He has a new heart now. | D．He has a big family. |
| A．Life is full of ups and downs. |
| B．Love is the only thing for life. |
| C．Light can drive away darkness. |
| D．His daughters have a gift for music. |
| A．Failure. | B．Anxiety. | C．Happiness. | D．Weakness. |
| A．The pain of being weak. |
| B．The suffering of a patient. |
| C． The courage to live on. |
| D．The strength of a heart. |
6 . At a clinic in Waterloo, Ontario, an elderly woman sat on the edge of a waiting room chair singing “My Heart Will Go On.” With little effort, she was able to send her sweet voice exploding into every corner of the clinic.
There was a lot of shifting in seats, but mainly they awkwardly avoid their eyes and tried to pretend there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. I was there with my father, who was getting a routine blood test, when the woman arrived. She settled into the seat directly across from my Dad. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.
My Dad had been living with Alzheimer’s (阿尔茨海默症) for several years, When he was healthy, he considered it wholly bad mannered to bring too much attention to oneself. Since Alzheimer’s has a tendency to destroy a person’s patience, Dad had experienced a few challenging encounters in the past.
Her singing began gently. I glanced over at Dad. His smile was gone, and he was staring right at her. She was staring back. I couldn’t read his expression, but it seemed to be something like confusion. I watched for any sign of a coming angry outburst. Instead, his face softened, and the tension eased in his brow.
People say that Alzheimer’s is a thief, and that it steals your loved ones slowly, day by day. But certain experiences with my Dad have allowed me to see a side of him that I never knew existed. I will hold on to those moments when he told me tender stories about when he was a child, as if he knew that he didn’t have much time left to show me who he really was. In an unexpected way, that’s what happened for me that day in the clinic. Alzheimer’s sometimes seemed to be peeling back the onion of my Dad’s true self.
When her song ended, the woman opened her eyes. My Dad was still looking directly at her.
“That was beautiful,” he said. And she smiled and said. “Thank you.”
1. How did most people feel when hearing the woman’s song?| A．Inspired | B．Ashamed. | C．Relaxed. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．Staring at people around. | B．Having challenging experiences. |
| C．Singing loudly in a public place. | D．Chatting with a woman stranger. |
| A．Whether her Dad would be angry. | B．How beautifully the woman sang. |
| C．What made her Dad look confused. | D．Why her Dad stared at the woman. |
| A．The woman’s gift for music. | B．The true self of her Dad. |
| C．The danger of Alzheimer’s. | D．The healing power of music. |
7 . How to Support a Friend Struggling with Their Mental Health?
Maybe you've noticed a friend is opening up to you for the first time about their anxiety.
Instead of making assumptions about what would be helpful to your loved one，ask them directly, “How can I support you?” Remember what you may need when you're struggling may not be what someone else needs when having a hard time.
Offer to help with everyday tasks
Many people struggling with their mental health may find it difficult to make basic decisions. Instead of using a common phrase “I'm here if you need me”，try to be specific about what you're offering.
Celebrate their wins, including the small ones
When a person is struggling with their mental health, every day can be full of challenges.
Read up on what they're struggling with
| A．Ask what they need from you |
| B．Do check in with them regularly |
| C．So cheer on their accomplishments |
| D．You can learn about mental illness |
| E．It's challenging to know what to say or do |
| F．Not all mental health challenges look the same |
| G．Visiting them, look round and see what you can do |
8 . My wife and I recently completed a day-long tour of the Great Wall with Jessie. In addition to being very knowledgeable about the history of the areas that we toured, she spoke excellent English and was able to answer all of our questions. Her driver was very experienced and polite, and we really enjoyed being able to have a customized tour that avoided the tourist traps and forced shopping that seem to be a part of the larger group tours.
The attractions themselves were fantastic. I was a little worried that the snowy weather might impact our trip to the Great Wall, but everything went fine, and there weren’t many people out at all that day. I suggest wearing strong shoes—the Great Wall is really a hike. And in snowy or rainy days, the surfaces are pretty slippery (滑的)! Seeing this area in winter was really unique, and the snow made for great pictures. Jessie kept us entertained with stories and facts about the construction of the Wall, and always pointed out great spots for taking pictures. Even though she’s in fantastic shape, she cared about our level of fitness and often stopped to let us catch our breath.
When we got back to our hotel, Jessie gave us a great recommendation for dinner and some tips for our planned stops the next day. If I find myself in Beijing in the future, I will certainly be contacting Jessie for more tour opportunities, and I’ve already recommended her to some friends who are visiting the area later in the year. I can’t say enough about how kind and knowledgeable she was, and she really gave us a great tour experience.
1. What can we infer about Jessie?| A．She is a tour advisor. |
| B．She is a tour guide. |
| C．She is a foreign traveler. |
| D．She is a skilled driver. |
| A．In spring. | B．In summer. |
| C．In autumn. | D．In winter. |
| A．Adventurous. | B．Disappointing. |
| C．Satisfactory. | D．Improvable. |
| A．A Wonderful Tour Day with Jessie |
| B．An Extraordinary Tour Company |
| C．The Great Wall, an Excellent Attraction |
| D．Jessie, a Kind and Knowledgeable Guide |
9 . An influencer, that was my mama.
Oh, not like the ones we see nowadays, a string of followers and fame. No, my mama had just three followers, my two older brothers and then me.
As near as I can remember, we didn't have much. Living on a piece of dirt in the top half of California, my mama took care of our plot of land; she was worn out by day's end. I watched. I learned. I followed. My little fist would tightly hold garden tools while mama's steadied our cow.
Life was hard, but my mama didn't complain, my daddy working far away. But then just around the bend one day, a new path sprung up, a different. I can still remember this change of scene, a fresh grade-school down the street, houses lined up side by side to its open gate. Mama insisted we help the new school by taking part in a “paper drive,” a fundraiser. My mama and I walked house to house and back to the school again and again to recycle abandoned newspapers and to raise money. At night we finished what we'd begun, arms aching but with a good feeling inside. I watched. I learned. I followed. My young hands were blackened with ink, a lesson impressed on my heart.
Not so long after, childhood stepped so lightly into womanhood. Along the way she showed me how to stand tall, be a leader, and not follow the crowd. “Finish what you start, speak truth, and be kind” were her words. Now that I have become a mother, I see her wisdom. Good sense, I think, has caught up with me.
Mama's gone now; my hands got rough like hers. She once rocked my crib (婴儿床) with her loving hands, and so she “rocked” my world, too. Maybe it's not about how many followers we have, but whom we really influence. I watched. I learned. I followed. Just like my mama.
1. What can we learn about the author's mother from paragraph 5?| A．She was hard-working. | B．She was warm-hearted. |
| C．Her kindness helps others a lot. | D．Her intelligence impresses the author. |
| A．Shone. | B．Shaped. |
| C．Shook. | D．Shaded. |
| A．To stress her belief. | B．To show her ability. |
| C．To provide the background. | D．To memorize her mother. |
| A．We can never show love to our mothers enough. |
| B．Nothing is greater than a mother's love to her kids. |
| C．Mother's words and actions affect kids' whole lives. |
| D．The greatest test is to bear hardship without losing hope. |
Birth date: October 15th, 1991
Speaking: English, Russian
Now in: Dodge City, Kansas
From: Pratt, Kansas
Learning: Japanese, Chinese, Spanish
About me: I love all outdoor activities, especially playing ball games, traveling, and climbing. I play the guitar, and can say that I’m really good at it. I also like playing chess, but I don’t play it well. If you’re good at it, maybe you can teach me. I’m going to college this September. All I really want to do during the summer holiday is travel, teach, and learn languages (this is my hobby), see things, and build great friendships. I’d like people aged 17-20 to get in touch with me, both girls and boys. It’s better if you’re from Beijing or Tokyo. I’ve made 15 friends over the Internet. If you’d like to be one of them, send me an email at blink001@yahoo.com. My MSN is blink001@hotmail.com. I’d love to be your friend!
1. Where is Blink now?
| A．In Dodge City. | B．In Pratt. |
| C．In Beijing. | D．In Tokyo. |
| A．Playing the guitar. | B．Playing ball games. |
| C．Playing chess. | D．Learning languages. |
| A．To make friends. | B．To go on a trip. |
| C．To learn foreign languages. | D．To introduce his hobbies. |
