Tim’s heart raced as he drove to the lawyer’s office. He was bequeathed (遗赠) a mysterious box his dad had never allowed him and his sister to even go near. He signed papers, but was shocked to learn he didn’t get the key to open it and nothing about the key was mentioned in the will. “You’ll have to figure that out!” the lawyer said. Tim left the office, puzzled about what his late dad had left him.
Just then, he remembered his childhood home where he and his twin sister Karen grew up. They had lost their mother just two months after they were born. They were raised by their dad Jonathan, and the two were the best friends! As they grew older, they were drawn to the mysterious box, but their dad warned them never to touch it, and even hung the key on a nail high above the fireplace so that they would never get their hands on its contents. Whatever he was hiding from his kids, he was on guard at all times.
As the years fleeted by, Tim and Karen moved on with their respective lives. And their brother-sister bond went downhill. The twins fought over who would inherit (继承) their dad’s house. Jonathan was heartbroken and whatever trick he tried to reconcile (和解) them, nothing worked. Meanwhile, Jonathan’s health began to decline, and even on his deathbed, he wished his kids would put aside their differences and get back together.
What would Tim do with the inherited box now? He went to his childhood home to find the key. The house no longer appeared like that loving home Tim remembered growing up in. When he reached to grab the key above the fireplace, he sensed someone behind him. “What are you doing here?” screamed Karen, casting the cell phone flashlight on Tim’s face.
“Dad bequeathed me his old chest, and I came here looking for the key. But what are you doing here?”
“Dad bequeathed me the key! So I came here to find the chest,” said Karen, puzzled about his father’s decision.
注意：1.写作词数应为150左右；
2.请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“Something had to be wrong,” they thought and stared at each other.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Tears ran down their cheeks at seeing their childhood photos with their father and mother.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Never give up! Never give up!” chanted(吟唱)my two young children, Max and Charley, as they marched barefoot behind their grandmother Mimi. My mom Mimi was leading Max and Charley on another adventure,straight off the beach where they’d spent the day building sand castles and playing in the waves. This time, they were seeking an ice-cream truck.
Over the years, Mimi had become our family’s tower of positivity. It wasn’t a title she earned without effort, however. Having been a single mother at only forty years old and left to raise me and my ten-year-old brother alone, she faced countless challenges. She had been the one who had to make the decision to remove our dad from life support fourteen days after he was in a car accident.
My mom could have lived under a black cloud. Instead, she challenged herself to find joy every day. She was always up for a new challenge, whether that was hiking across the high mountaintop in Austria to get a better view of the breathtaking beauty or signing up for tap-dancing classes at fifty. Leading by example, Mom taught us just how much one could accomplish with a positive attitude.
She has taken the same approach in her relationship with her grandchildren. Before starting her adventure with Max and Charley on that hot July afternoon, Mimi heard the familiar clang(叮当声)of the ice-cream man＇s bell from her beach chair. She turned and saw him briefly，spotting his shining green shirt and catching the gleam(闪光)of his waving bell before he turned and disappeared. Happily, the ice-cream man’s visit was a daily occurrence on the beach, although the time between the sound of his bell and the departure of his truck wasn’t long. One must be quick to catch him.
Max and Charley were disappointed when they didn’t catch him in time that day. Mimi smiled and said, “Never give up!” She explained that the truck might be gone, but they could hurry off to find it at its next stop.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
They walked block after block.
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Another two blocks later, they finally found the ice-cream truck!
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3 . Kayden and his little sister Kaycee were having a great time playing outside as their family gathered nearby for a get-together. While Kayden was safely riding his bike on the sidewalk, Kaycee ended up
No one else had realized where Kaycee was. Instead of panicking or waiting to get
“By the time everybody else saw Kaycee in the road, Kayden was right there...He ran right into the road to
Although Kayden had to be
Since the accident took place, Kayden has been getting all the heroic attention he
As for the
| A．sailing | B．wandering | C．escaping | D．cycling |
| A．approaching | B．passing | C．carrying | D．preventing |
| A．help | B．praise | C．comfort | D．information |
| A．slowly | B．elegantly | C．quickly | D．gradually |
| A．entertain | B．accompany | C．save | D．observe |
| A．delay | B．gathering | C．hesitation | D．process |
| A．caught | B．admitted | C．limited | D．forced |
| A．comment | B．living | C．recovery | D．display |
| A．admires | B．needs | C．hides | D．deserves |
| A．shy | B．curious | C．eager | D．able |
| A．react | B．return | C．apologize | D．compete |
| A．local firefighter | B．bike rider | C．police officer | D．car driver |
| A．recipe | B．fault | C．routine | D．honor |
| A．neighbors | B．adults | C．enemies | D．kids |
| A．sure | B．afraid | C．thankful | D．doubtful |
4 . 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. |
The Christmas I will never forget happened when I was 9. I believed in Santa with all my heart. How could I not when I received everything I wished for.
December 1st. Mom would announce, “It’s time.” Hearing those words, we all knew it was time to write our letters to Santa. One day I asked mom why we always wrote our letters on December 1st. She said because so many kids were writing letters to Santa, he needed time to read them and make all the toys the kids wanted. Once our letters were finished, mom would put them in her purse and mail them the next day.
Christmas Eve finally arrived. We were all so excited. We did our Christmas Eve traditions. Daddy read us The Night Before Christmas’ story. Then it was time for sleep. I had such a good feeling about Christmas this year. It was difficult to fall asleep. But sleep finally came and so did Christmas morning. I woke up hearing my brothers yelling. Jimmy came running and jumping on my bed. “Santa’s been here, sister! Let’s open presents!”
We ran down the stairs. Our eyes were glowing like wildfire as we eyed over the presents under the tree. My brothers and I quickly snuggled (依偎) among the packages. We all watched as each person unwrapped a gift. I kept watching as my brothers unwrapped gifts. My dad didn’t hand me any package. “This year you are going to be the last to get your presents because you are the oldest.” he declared. I didn’t think anything of it, so I whispered “OK.”
One by one all of the packages had been opened. There was none left. I couldn’t understand. I had been so good this year. Tears began sliding down my cheeks. I ran up to my room. My mom went up the stairs for me to come back down. Dad wanted to talk to me, sobbing, I slowly made my way back.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dad signed to me to follow him.
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The memory of that Christmas stayed with me all these years.
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1. At what age did Michael’s grandfather retire?
| A．55. | B．58. | C．61. |
| A．Colorful. | B．Poor. | C．Dull. |
| A．To help out a young man. |
| B．To work at the Union Office. |
| C．To spend time with his family. |
| A．Skating. | B．Painting. | C．Swimming. |
I still remember the day when we decorated the house, I was ten and it was two weeks before Christmas. I was looking forward to my presents. Since I’m the youngest in the family, all of the family members would give me a gift one way or another. Sometimes it was a cookie or a hug but it was always there. I was the only center of attention and it was feeling good.
My uncles usually would ask me what I wanted before Christmas and that year I knew what I wanted. It was the spaceship I saw in the ads. I was dreaming of opening a big gift box, and it was there. But that year it came in a way that I wasn’t expecting.
It was two weeks before Christmas. Just two weeks. She couldn’t wait. My dear mother told my father that it was time, and then we went to the hospital. After an hour, they told me that I had a sister now. But I didn’t want a sister. I wanted a spaceship. The next few days went so fast. No one was caring about me. Everyone was talking about her and I knew that my life is never going to be the same ever again. I wasn’t ready to grow up, to be a big brother. But it just happened in an instant.
On the day before Christmas, everyone was in our home, talking only about my newborn sister. My family was becoming hers. Even my uncles didn’t ask me anything about the gift. She stole everything I’d ever had, my life and my presents. Thinking about this, I cried to sleep. I had a nightmare (噩梦) and woke up at the middle of the night. Shadows were all around me, and I was defenseless and so weak. I ran into my parents’ bedroom but couldn’t wake up my poor parents who were just too worn out. I was standing near their bed, trying not to cry when I saw her. She was awake and looking at me with her big eyes in her small bed.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Suddenly a long shadow came into the bedroom and she started crying.
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After having comforted her, something slowly changed inside me.
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Almost every childhood memory I have is centred on food. Telling stories around a crowded table at holiday dinners, the smell of roasting vegetables, the sensation (感受) of heat coming from the kitchen, all picture a familiar feeling of love and comfort.
My favourite memory of all is of my grandparents making and baking bread together. To this day, I have never tasted bread that is as delicious as theirs. No other loaf has ever been made with that kind of powerful, unconditional love.
When our son Brian, one of seventh graders, began to refuse usual communication with me, I felt desperate. How I missed those lovely old days when he couldn’t wait to tell me his stories in kindergarten the moment I arrived home without getting changed! And there were also times when he brought loads of storybooks to me and demanded to be told all the stories before going to bed. But I didn’t know since when everything changed. There was hardly any sharing about his daily school life with friends or any trouble about his schoolwork. Most of the time, his bedroom door was closed. The cold silence between us seemed to warn me that love between us began to fade.
At that time, like most mothers, I couldn’t focus on work and couldn’t sleep well. Why did things go off track so much? Was it because my work took away most of my energy that family love was taken for granted? Was it because my only precious spare time went too much to my two-year-old baby daughter that Brian’s need for my company was ignored? The more I reflected, the more I felt myself to blame and it was my responsibility to find a way out.
One day, as my eyes landed onto the bread on the kitchen table, I was reminded of those sweet childhood memories, “Could food help us make a change?” I wondered.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
With an uneasy feeling, I decided to try.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________More than that, one weekend evening, Brian offered to help me in the kitchen.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9 . Yesterday, after arriving in Madrid, I knocked on a stranger’s door. “I searched on the website. Will you give me lessons?” I asked. This was the reason I’d come to Spain. Because I once believed I was meant to be a female flamenco (弗拉门戈) guitarist.
Forty-five years ago, when I was two, my father also came to Madrid and knocked on strangers’ doors. A well-known classical guitarist, he admired flamenco a lot, and in Spain he learnt from anyone willing to teach him. He approached performers in bars, made friends with street musicians and managed to study with Paco de Lucia, the greatest flamenco guitarist of our time.
I started playing classical guitar when I was five. My father’s hands exploded across the strings like fireworks. I practised while he instructed and criticized. I played till I had sharp pain in my fingertips. By age seven, I was called a child genius.
Then, at 11, I quit. Heartbroken, my father distanced himself. Guiltily, I followed suit. Soon we spoke only when necessary. Our relationship didn’t rebound until, in my early 20s, I found myself pulled back to guitar.
When I was in my early 30s, he got sick. Before he died a few years later, my father told me there were almost no female flamenco guitarists in the world. If I kept practising, I could be one of the first. I promised, and he left me his guitar. But after he died, I couldn’t bear to play it. He’d spent so much time with his arms around that instrument, and it seemed an extension of his own body. Holding it gave my grief an unbearable tangibility (可触知). So for 13 years it sat mostly untouched, coming out only when my son Ellis begged to see it. He was careful with his grandfather’s instrument in a way that made me want to pass it down to him — both the guitar and the music. Problem was, I couldn’t really play anymore.
Now, Antonia is sitting with me in her living room, teaching me patiently. I have been here for only two days, and already my fingers hurt. It’s a sharp pain, like when a fallen-asleep limb (肢体) returns to life. The feeling delights me. It means I’m doing something right.
1. Which can best describe the father when he was learning flamenco?| A．Cautious. | B．Hopeless. | C．Depressed. | D．Devoted. |
| A．Improve. | B．Break. | C．Suffer. | D．Blossom. |
| A．She intended to pass it down to her son. |
| B．It reminded her of her unpleasant past. |
| C．Deep sorrow drowned her at the sight of it. |
| D．Carrying it made her feel a sense of burden. |
| A．Guitar Lessons From Strangers |
| B．Love for Father on the String Again |
| C．Adventures for Music Lovers in Spain |
| D．Journey to Success as a Flamenco Guitarist |
At five years old, my youngest daughter Lisette should have been way too young for me to be talking to her about guardian angels. But here I was, standing next to an adult-sized stretcher(担架), as her child-sized body lay in a huge white sheet. She was about to be wheeled in for her second brain surgery.
Born with hydrocephalus (脑积水), Lisette had her first brain surgery at seven months old. Little did we know then that this would be the first of many corrective surgeries to come, and that she would spend a lot of time at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
I took hold of Lisette’s hands. As we locked eyes with each other, I held her tiny hands in mine and asked her if she could feel her guardian angels around her. She looked around as if she could see and feel each angel, and she responded, “Yes, I can feel them.”
As I had hoped, this became an instrument of faith we could both rely on every time we faced another challenging procedure. We would hold hands, and I would introduce her to her guardian angels. Once she acknowledged their presence, she would be ready to let go and face what came next. Then and only then would I allow them to take her away.
Months later, Lisette and I stopped by my mother’s house for a routine visit. For some unknown reason, as we entered my mother’s house, we stopped right in front of the first door in the hallway, which led to my mothers bedroom.
This particular room was usually off-limits to the grandchildren, as there were many breakables on display. Before I could register what she was up to, Lisette made her way quickly and boldly into her grammy’s room. As I rushed to lead her out of the bedroom, my mother decided to make an exception since Lisette wasn’t touching or disturbing anything.
“Let her be,” my mother insisted, and we made ourselves comfortable right there in the door frame(框) so that we could keep an eye on Lisette while she explored the room.
注意：
(1)续写词数应为150左右；
(2)请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
As my mother and I chatted away about our day, I was distracted by Lisette’s little voice in the background.
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I pulled down the photo.
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