1 . It has been four years since Grandma Joy told her grandson that she had never seen the most beautiful views of America. Since then, they have gone on many cross-country trips.
Brad Ryan had been feeling tired of studying in a vet school when he visited his 85-year-old grandma in 2015. He hoped that spending some quality family time would help lift his spirits.
As he was telling his grandma stories of his travels, however, he was heartbroken to hear that she had never seen the ocean or mountains. Ryan then asked his grandmother if she would like to go hiking with him. Needless to say, she was more than happy to agree.
They have since visited 29 different national parks across America---from the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado to the Acadia National Park in Maine. Over the four years, Ryan and his grandma have driven 25,000 miles through 38 states. And it has greatly affected his quality of life. “Seeing it through my grandmother’s eyes, who every morning wakes up and is thankful to be alive has taught me how to live,” Ryan said. “With her, I’ve had to slow down and see life in a different way, which has made it a lot richer.”
“I love my grandma so much, and it’s just really giving me a lot of peace when she passed away. I can go back to these places, feel her spirit, and feel connected to her,” he added.
Ryan posted all of their trips on Facebook. He hopes more young people will spare time to be with their elders. “I want young people to know that hanging out with your grandparents is cool. And there’s so much we can learn from our elders,” Ryan said.
1. Why did Brad Ryan visit his grandma in 2015?| A．To cheer himself up. |
| B．To please his grandma. |
| C．To take his grandma to travel. |
| D．To share his travelling experiences. |
| A．Shocked. | B．Sad. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Excited |
| A．She made him live a better life. |
| B．She helped him find his life goal. |
| C．She told him to have peace of mind. |
| D．She gave him a lot of encouragement. |
| A．To advise young people to take a trip. |
| B．To share his joy of travelling with his grandma. |
| C．To encourage the young to keep their elders company. |
| D．To show young people what they can learn from their elders. |
2 . If there was a subject at school that made me anxious, it was science. Maybe that’s because in my tenth grade, I couldn't understand my physics teacher's instructions, causing me to accidentally set fire to the classroom. So, when my husband and I decided to home-school our daughters, we made a deal: he would teach science, while I would handle everything else. But that’s not how things have been going these past few weeks, since my husband has been too busy to teach the girls.
Recently, while out on my morning hike before starting lessons, I noticed that the sky was a beautiful blue, and the air was filled with the sweet smell of flowers. That s why I decided that the day’s lessons would be taught outside, although I remembered that my daughters hadn't had any science classes from my husband for a while.
I returned to the house to get the girls ready. We headed up into the forest, settling ourselves by a pond that rarely has any visitors. My daughter Saoirse started to pick up pond weeds and catch frogs, while my other daughter Ula looked at me, waiting to be instructed. I handed her a drawing board and colored pencils. "We wait, "I told her, " and see if something comes along. In the meantime, just draw what's around you.”
We worked for more than an hour, hardly speaking. A bird flew across the water, and then settled in a front of a fallen tree. I quickly told Ula, worried that she’d not seen the creature. But she had, and she started drawing it. An hour later, she’d not finished her picture and I stared down at it. She drew the bird on her paper with amazing accuracy. But there was one other interesting fact about this drawing: she also drew me, sitting beside her.
I realized, as I stared at this child's drawing of us watching a bird, how I'd lived for 40 years, gathered 10 years of higher education, and never understood the foundation of science before this moment. The foundation of science is a sense of wonder; it isn't about accurately reciting words from a textbook. It is first and foremost about stepping outside our busy lives and amazing at the world around us.
1. How did the author feel about science when in school?| A．She was nervous about it. | B．She was fond of it. |
| C．She was confused about it. | D．She was eager for it. |
| A．the fallen tree | B．the forest |
| C．the bird | D．the picture |
| A．She's very outgoing. | B．She's good at observing. |
| C．She's very hard-working. | D．She shares interests with her sister. |
| A．Attention to accuracy. |
| B．Curiosity about the outside world. |
| C．Determination to find out the truth. |
| D．Ability to understand teachers' instructions. |
3 . 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 |
4 . 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. |
5 . Whenever I heard strangers singing out loud, whether it was in the supermarket or on the street, I used to think how annoying it was. That was until a few months ago.
Recently, my daughter Zoe started her second year of middle school with a new sense of awareness, asking me to fix the "little girl" pattern on her wheelchair seat. Not wanting her to stand out at school, I spent hours filling in pale yellow stars with a black marker, eager to erase whatever childish signs I could. Shortly after, Zoe got really sick and had to miss 20 days of school. This meant our days were filled with rushing between hospital appointments and meetings with the school, as we tried to make sure she didn't fall behind on her schoolwork.
I felt pulled back to a time when she was little and her sickness was a huge part of her life. Back then, it seemed like Zoe lived in hospitals, as she spent so much time in them. No matter how sick she got, however, she always had a positive attitude. But this was different: Zoe was no longer singing like she normally did. Zoe usually sings all the time, whether she's playing, riding in the car, or just doing her homework. There was no need for a radio in our house； Zoe provided the music for us. Consumed (被折磨)with my motherly worries, it was more concerning to me than her sickness.
One day, however, I heard her beautiful voice as I was cooking dinner. I stopped what I was doing and just smiled. “Pure delight. ’’ I thought to myself. Her voice slowly grew stronger, and soon, both the car and the house were filled with her music once more. How had I not noticed her singing had completely stopped, weeks and weeks ago? Now, thankfully, she's back in school, smiling and singing, and I'm thankful for each and every song she sings.
These days, whenever I hear a stranger singing a song to themselves, I don’t get mad. Instead, I smile, as I know that by singing out loud, they're simply sharing their happiness with the world.
1. When did the author feel bothered?| A．When hearing strangers singing. | B．When her daughter started middle school. |
| C．When fixing stars on the seat. | D．When her daughter became sensitive. |
| A．Considerate and helpful. | B．Competitive and hardworking. |
| C．Optimistic and strong-willed. | D．Self-aware and modest. |
| A．Zoe's love for music. | B．Zoe’s falling behind at school. |
| C．Zoe's silence during her sickness. | D．Zoe's slow recovery from her sickness. |
| A．A way to get rid of stress. | B．A way to express love to others. |
| C．A way to communicate with others. | D．A way to share joy. |
6 . As we all know, friendship is of great importance in our daily life. A friend can give us help and share our difficulties and happiness. But how to make friends is still difficult for some of us.
Be friendly to others.
Be reliable. If you and your friends agree to meet somewhere, don’t be late. If you’re not going to make it on time or make it at all, call them as soon as you realize it.
Encourage and support your friends: A true friend always gives encouragement to his friends.
| A．Be a good listener. |
| B．A friend to all is a friend to none. |
| C．When you say you’ll do something, do it. |
| D．He will stay with them in good as well as bad times. |
| E．The following information can give you some tips. |
| F．Smile at others and you are sure to get a smile in return. |
| G．A true friend should always share the same interest with you. |
7 . I never saw my father home from work late or ill, nor did I ever see my father take a “night out with the boys”. He had no hobbies but just took care of his family.
For 22 years, since I left home for college, my father called me every Sunday at 9:00 am. He was always interested in my life----how my family was doing. The calls even came when he and my mother were in Australia, England or Florida.
Nine years ago when I bought me first house, my father, 67 years old, spent eight hours a day for three days, painting my house. He would not allow me to pay someone to have it done. All he asked was a glass of iced tea, and that I hold a paintbrush for him and talk to him. But I was too busy, for I had a law practice to run, and I could not take the time to hold the paintbrush, or talk to my father.
Five years ago, my 71-year-old father spent five hours putting together a swing set (秋千) for my daughter. Again, all he asked was that I get him a glass of iced tea, and talk to him. But again, I had laundry to do, and the house to clean.
The morning on Sunday, January 16, 1995, my father telephoned me as usual, this time he had seemed to have forgotten some things we had discussed the week before. I had to get to church, and I cut the conversation short.
The call came at 4:40 am. That day my father was sent to hospital in Florida. I got on a plane immediately, and I vowed (发誓) that when I arrived, I would make up for the lost time, and have a nice long talk with him and really get to know him.
I arrived in Florida at 1:00 am, but my father had passed away at 9:12 pm. This time it was he who did not have time to talk, or time to wait for me.
In the years since his death I have learnt much about my father, and even more about every single day.
1. We know from the reading that the father_____.| A．liked to paint houses |
| B．had no friends around him |
| C．was not healthy in his youth |
| D．thought of his family as his all |
| A．could only afford a glass of iced tea |
| B．was too busy to talk to her father |
| C．could do nothing but hold a paintbrush |
| D．spent eight hours a day working with her father |
| A．seemed to be a little different |
| B．had no time to phone her as usual |
| C．became interested in church |
| D．had forgotten to discuss some things with her |
| A．Painting Houses |
| B．Daughter’s Family |
| C．Father and I |
| D．Father’s phone calls |
8 . It was a normal school day for senior Solymar Solis until an unexpected visitor arrived. Her dad, Sgt. Carlos Solis Melendez, surprised her by coming home early from Kuwait and visiting her unannounced at Spring Valley High School in South Carolina.
After serving in Kuwait for nine months, Melendez returned home a week earlier than his daughter expected. He held balloons and flowers in a classroom as he sat at a student’s desk to blend in with the crowd. “It came across my mind like, ‘How is she going to react?” he recalled the heartwarming moment. “Is she going to be happy and run to me and hug me, or cry? That was all going on through my mind.”
As unsuspecting Solymar entered the classroom, she was soon overcome with emotion, immediately bursting into tears and covering her mouth. She didn’t talk. She was just crying. She was overwhelmed with everything. She thought it was a dream.
Melendez was a single parent so while he was deployed (调动), he got his sister to live with his daughter. When he was coming back and talking to his sister, both of them came to the conclusion that they should do something special for his daughter. Melendez and his sister got in touch with the school, and they planned this whole being-in-the-classroom thing, and it turned out perfect.
The two are very much looking forward to some good daddy-daughter time now that he’s home. “It means everything,” Melendez said of being able to surprise his daughter this way. “After all the sacrifices she’s made, she deserves all the special arrangements and special occasions and celebrations. I’ll do anything for my daughter. I believe I’m doing good parenting.”
1. How did Solymar feel when seeing her father?| A．She was eager to hug her father. |
| B．She felt everything was as usual. |
| C．She got disappointed at seeing her father. |
| D．She thought it was unbelievable. |
| A．Content. | B．Astonished. |
| C．Touched. | D．Upset. |
| A．To get involved in her school life. |
| B．To teach her a lesson in a special way. |
| C．To build a strong emotional bond with her. |
| D．To make up for what she lost in her growth. |
| A．Father’s Selfless Love for His Daughter |
| B．Girl Expecting the Returning of Her Dad |
| C．Girl Surprised at School by Her Dad’s Return |
| D．Father and Daughter’s Expected Reunion |
9 . I was quite angry with my professor last week when he gave us an assignment to “tell someone we love them”. It has to be someone we have never said those words to before or at least haven’t shared those words with for a long time.
But as I began driving home my conscience started talking to me. It was telling me that I knew exactly who I needed to say I love you to. You see, five years ago, my father and I had a disagreement and really never settled it since that time. We avoided seeing each other unless we absolutely had to at Christmas or other family gatherings.
So last Tuesday by the time I got home I had convinced myself I was going to tell my father I loved him. The next morning I was up bright and early. I could hardly sleep with excitement, nor did my wife.
At 9:00, I called my dad to see if I could come over after work. When he answered the phone, I just said, “Dad, can I come over after work tonight? I have something to tell you.” My dad responded with a grumpy face, “Now what?” I assured him it wouldn’t take long, so he finally agreed.
At 5:30, I was at my parents’ house ringing the doorbell, praying that Dad would answer the door. Dad did answer the door. I didn’t waste any time and took one step in the door and said, “Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you.” His face softened and he began to cry. He reached out and hugged me and said, “I love you too, son.” Mom walked by with tears in her eyes.
Two days after that visit, my dad became unconscious. I don’t know if he’ll make it. What if I had waited to tell my dad? Maybe I will never get the chance again!
1. What problem did the author decide to solve?| A．His heavy office work load. | B．His hardly-finished assignment. |
| C．His disagreement with his father. | D．His unpleasant family gatherings. |
| A．Soft tone. | B．Bad temper. |
| C．Good mood. | D．Great doubt. |
| A．Confused. | B．Shocked. |
| C．Moved. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．So don’t wait to do the things that you know ought to be done. |
| B．So don’t believe there will be a problem without a solution. |
| C．So don’t complain when your teacher gives you assignments. |
| D．So don’t forget to visit your family even if you are very busy. |
10 . 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” |
