1 . Many years ago, I was living with my best friend and we had many happy moments together. But there was one night that
On the night of November 25, 2011, I got into a fistfight with my best friend in our kitchen. It all started because I was trying to help him. He was drinking a lot, arguing with everyone and
I thought alcohol
That Christmas my friend didn’t have any place to go, so I invited him home to my parents’ house in Lancaster. They
That year my friend and I both received gifts that we would
| A．defined | B．inspired | C．created | D．changed |
| A．defending | B．separating | C．protecting | D．locking |
| A．communication | B．investigation | C．exploration | D．promotion |
| A．put up | B．take away | C．break out | D．call off |
| A．talking | B．crying | C．fighting | D．laughing |
| A．access | B．addition | C．abuse | D．affection |
| A．look | B．break | C．drive | D．carry |
| A．time | B．holiday | C．gift | D．family |
| A．happily | B．generally | C．formally | D．hurriedly |
| A．awake | B．asleep | C．available | D．absorbed |
| A．generosity | B．curiosity | C．ability | D．creativity |
| A．admitted | B．realized | C．recognized | D．accepted |
| A．exchange | B．present | C．treasure | D．appreciate |
| A．day | B．test | C．skill | D．eye |
| A．kind | B．grateful | C．blessed | D．healthy |
2 . One grandma in Japan went above and beyond to connect with her grandchildren. Taechan, a woman in her 70s, began making Gundam models-plastic armor (盔甲) suits inspired by the anime Mobile Suit Gundam. Her amazing results impressed her grandchildren and sparked an unexpected passion.
Gundam suits are sold as kits by Bandai. They’re sometimes called “Gunpla”, which combines the words “Gundam” and “plastic model”. Despite being sold in box sets, building these suits of armor can be complicated and include numerous tiny pieces that the person has to fit together. Taechan now documents her builds in YouTube videos.
During these recordings, you see her work at a desk with the manual of illustrated instructions open in front of her. Each page includes dozens of detailed steps. Taechan, however, is a patient and diligent worker and takes her time completing each step with care. Her dedication to completing these models really shows in the final product.
When Taechan shared her Gundam results and the reason for making them on Twitter, thousands of people reacted to her story. Those who are familiar with the process of making these plastic suits were surprised that Taechan put in such effort, especially considering her health condition. Many also found it endearing that she went the extra mile to connect with her grandchildren. Best of all, Taechan seems to have found a new hobby for herself, too!
Even though her hands shake due to chronic (慢性的) illness, she managed to make many impressive plastic suits that wowed her grandchildren.
1. Why did Taechan make Gundam Models?| A．To kill time. | B．To cure her shaking hands. |
| C．To bond with her grandchildren. | D．To become an Internet celebrity. |
| A．Strict and helpful. | B．Patient and careful. |
| C．Healthy and determined. | D．Generous and hopeful. |
| A．People are puzzled about Taechan’s behaviour. |
| B．People offered Taechan advice on making Gundam models. |
| C．Taechan’s health condition stopped her making good models. |
| D．Taechan’s effort to connect with her grandchildren was admired. |
| A．In an advertisement. | B．In a novel. |
| C．In a newspaper. | D．In a diary. |
When Someone Believes in You
When Marco was a boy, he tried everything to get his father’s love and attention. He worked hard to earn excellent marks; he tried to be obedient (顺从的), he chose inspiring friends and always tried to behave well.
Sensitive and shy, he always wore turtleneck shirts. He hid behind his hair, which he wore long around his face and ears. To make it worse, Marco was naturally shorter than the other kids. And because his good marks had allowed him to skip second grade — he was younger than everyone else. This added nothing to his already low self-confidence.
When Marco was eight his parents divorced, and Marco was sent to a boarding school. Six years later, he and his young sister Sandra moved in with their dad and his new wife in St-Léonard, a French Canadian and Italian neighbourhood on the east side of Montreal. Between his work and his new young wife, it felt to Marco that his father had little time for him and Sandra. Except for his demands around housework after school, there was no communication. It seemed to Marco the only time his dad ever spoke to him was to be demanding or critical. But his dad really did love him and wanted the best for him. It was his own insecurity that made him react to anything that might threaten his son’s future.
Marco sank further into his low self-respect and was overwhelmed with feeling unappreciated, inadequate, depressed and confused. He felt desperately alone and lonely. He began to fear coming home from school every day.
One day, his aunt called him. To Marco, this seemed like a miracle. Aunt Ginette usually only called once a year, on his birthday. She said she had just seen some young teenagers participate in a public speaking contest called Gala Personnalité sponsored by Club Optimiste — and she thought about him. She thought he should give it a try. She told him she firmly believed he could perform on stage like the other kids, since she had seen him do skits (小品) for the family at Christmas.
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。
Him? On stage? In a public speaking contest?
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Four months later, the big night arrived.
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4 . One school night this month I quietly approached Alexander, my 15-year-old son, and patted him on the cheek in a manner I hoped would seem casual. Alex knew better, sensing by my touch, which remained just a moment too long, that I was sneaking (偷偷地做) a touch of the beard that had begun to grow near his ears. Suddenly he went stormily to his computer screen. That, and an angry look of his eyes, told me more forcefully than words: Mom, you are seen through!
I realized I committed a silly behavior: not showing respect for my teenager’s personal space. “The average teenager has strong feelings about his privacy,” said two young women experts. Ms. Frankel and Ms. Fox, both 17, are the authors of Breaking the Code, a new book that seeks to bridge the generational divide between parents and adolescents. It is being promoted by its publisher as the first self-help guide by teenagers for their parents, a kind of Kids Are From Mars, Parents Are From Venus that de-mystifies the language and actions of teenagers.
Personally, I welcomed insights into teenagers from any qualified experts, and that included the authors. The most common missteps in interacting with teenagers, they instructed me, result from the conflict between parents maintaining their right to know what goes on under their roof and teenagers striving to guard their privacy. When a child is younger, they write, every decision centers around the parents. But now, as Ms. Fox told me, “often your teenager is in this circle that doesn’t include you.”
Ms. Fox and Ms. Frankel acknowledge that teenagers can be quick to interpret their parents’ remarks as negative or authoritative and respond with aggressiveness that masks their defenselessness. “What we want above all is your approval,” they write. “Don’t forget, no matter how much we act as if we don’t care what you say, we believe the things you say about us.”
1. In the second paragraph, Kids Are From Mars, Parents Are From Venus is mentioned because ______.| A．it disapproves of opinions in Breaking the Code |
| B．it shares the same theme with Breaking the Code |
| C．it employs the same language style as Breaking the Code |
| D．it ranks right after Breaking the Code among self-help guides |
| A．declare teenagers’ rights | B．remind parents of teenagers’ missteps |
| C．help parents know teenagers better | D．arouse much disagreement from the public |
| A．Teenagers’ defense of their privacy. |
| B．Parents’ striving to instruct teenagers. |
| C．Teenagers’ refusal to follow experts’ advice. |
| D．Parents’ dislike in teenagers’ attitudes to life. |
| A．Teenagers always rush to judgement on others. |
| B．Parents often seek to create an authoritative image. |
| C．Parents’ opinions about teenagers matter much to them. |
| D．Teenagers feature good comprehension and defenselessness. |
A few years ago, my wife Sue had some fairly serious health problems. She had suffered surgery after surgery and had also put on weight for several years. Diets had not helped her.
One day we sat down and drew up a “wish list” of the things we wanted most out of life. One of Sue’s items was to run in a marathon. Given her history and physical limitations, I thought her goal was completely unrealistic, but Sue became committed to it.
She began by running very slowly around. Every day she ran just a little farther than she had the day before just one driveway more. “When will I ever be able to run a mile?” Sue asked one day. Soon she was running three. Then five. “We can change ourselves for the better and cause ourselves to pursue our most precious desires with almost total success,” Sue said and registered to run in the St. George Marathon in southern Utah.
I drove the mountainous road from Cedar City to St. George. When the marathon began, I parked the car near the finish line and waited for Sue to come in. Five hours later, it was raining steadily and the wind was cold. Several cold and injured runners had been transported past me, and I began to panic. The image of Sue, alone and cold, off the road somewhere, made me sick with worry. The fast and strong competitors had finished long ago, and runners were becoming fewer and fewer. Now I could not see anyone in either direction.
Almost all of the cars along the marathon route had left, and some normal traffic was beginning. I was able to drive directly up the race route. There were still no runners in view after driving almost two miles. Then I went around a bend in the road and spotted two runners running up ahead.
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。
It was Sue in the company of a girl runner, struggling.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At the finish line, the girl hugged Sue, “You made me believe we could do it.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________One day, Dad took Tim and Lily to the supermarket. “Now where has Tim gone? ” asked Dad. Lily shrugged. Keeping track of Tim was not on her agenda today. She’d been trying to decide on the perfect gift for Dad’s upcoming birthday. This year, she was determined to prepare a present that couldn’t be bought at a store or ordered online.
“Daddy!” Tim appeared out of nowhere, disturbing Lily’s thoughts. He yelled, holding a cereal (麦片) box in the air, “Let’s get it! It’s nutritious and delicious! And it has a dragon inside! ” Tim remembered Dad saying that when he was a kid, almost every box of cereal came with a toy. Ever since, Tim was certain that he, too, would find a toy in the next box.
When they got home, Dad and Lily began putting away the groceries. Tim couldn’t wait to take the box of cereal upstairs to his room. By the time they finished, Lily could hear Tim shouting. “No! No!” Tim’s voice kept getting louder and louder. Lily imagined each word as the sound of a hammer striking metal. Then she raced towards her brother’s room. The moment she stepped inside, she felt a crunch (嘎吱声) beneath her feet. It was obvious that Tim dumped all that cereal looking for a toy dragon. “They lied! No dragon. Just a picture on the box.” Tim sounded close to tears. Annoyed as Lily was, she said quietly, “Let’s see what the box says.” “I don’t know how to read.” her brother said in a low voice.
It reminded Lily that last school year, Tim’s teacher who sent home easy-to-read books and worksheets insisted that he was ready to learn to read and just needed some extra help, but Tim complained about books “for babies” and “boring” homework assignments. It was really a headache for Dad to teach Tim to read! At the thought of these, it seemed that Tim’s dragon issue had swept away her concern for a present for Dad.
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。
Paragraph 1：
Lily decided to cooperate with Tim, making up a dragon story and having Tim read for Dad.
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Paragraph 2：
After what seemed to be a century, Dad’s birthday finally came.
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