2 . A New Friend and Perspective (视角)

I picked up the phone, slowly dialing the number to her house. All I could think was what we could possibly have a conversation about. _________! I didn’t think I could have anything in common with someone who is 50 years older than me.

“Your grandmother won’t be around forever,” my mom said,_________ I just did what she told me and painfully _________ my grandmother. What I didn’t know was that the phone call would change my attitude to life and my grandmother.

When she answered the _________, I planned to have a small conversation. Instead, she invited me to lunch. _________, I replied with a “That sounds great.”

When I_________ the phone, I immediately regretted agreeing to the lunch date. How was I going to fit this _________my busy schedule of homework, games, and friends? It was not my ideal Saturday, but I sucked it up and _________ anyway. Me and my grandmother… nothing to talk about.

_________, my Saturday morning wasn’t painful. I was interested in listening about her recent trip to Europe and how she saw the famous Eiffel Tower. She told me stories about her sewing class and her friends. I wasn’t aware that 60-year-old people had a social life. It turned out that her life wasn’t as __________as I thought. For once, I was __________without friends and without my cell phone. We planned to meet again at her house. This time, my mom didn’t have to __________me.

During the next visit, we sorted through three shoeboxes of photographs. There was an interesting story for each one. I learned that as humans, we __________ human experiences, no matter what age.

Ever since I made the first phone call to my grandmother, we have talked at least once a week. I regret not calling her __________. Her advice has taught me things that can’t be learned in a textbook. She taught me to be open to new things, to enjoy the simple things, and to appreciate what life has given me. I have __________a friend, a mentor (导师), and a new perspective.

1.

A．Nothing

B．Something

C．Everything

D．Anything

2.

A．but

B．for

C．or

D．so

3.

A．left

B．called

C．visited

D．helped

4.

A．phone

B．door

C．letter

D．question

5.

A．Hopefully

B．Surprisingly

C．Hesitantly

D．Willingly

6.

A．picked up

B．put up

C．hung up

D．took up

7.

A．up

B．on

C．with

D．into

8.

A．stopped

B．waited

C．went

D．returned

9.

A．Hopelessly

B．Surprisingly

C．Funnily

D．Naturally

10.

A．hard

B．busy

C．rich

D．boring

11.

A．curious

B．content

C．active

D．proud

12.

A．beg

B．follow

C．thank

D．understand

13.

A．doubt

B．share

C．tell

D．enjoy

14.

A．later

B．more often

C．earlier

D．less often

15.

A．remembered

B．brought

C．changed

D．gained

4 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容在答题卡相应题号后的横线上写下相关信息，完成对该问题的回答。

People from different generations often live and work together. Sometimes they’re happy being together, other times they’re not. One of the reasons for their unhappiness maybe a generation gap. A generation gap is the difference between two or more generations—not the differences between their years but the differences between the generations’ ideas, attitudes, and interests. Of course, people can have differences and still be happy together, but according to the experts, communication between the generations helps everyone get along.

Good communication between the generations starts in the family. These days many families are changing their communication style. They are moving from a “one-way” style to a “two-way” style of communication. To show this change, let’s compare two families:

The Smith family uses the “one-way” style of communication. Mr. and Mrs. Smith show interest in their children, but they don’t discuss problems of feelings. The parents make all the rules and decisions. They don’t ask for their children’s opinions. They explain their decisions to their children, but they don’t discuss them. The explanation is clear and the children understand. The communication goes one way: from the parents to the children.

The Jones family uses the “two-way” style of communication. Mr. and Mrs. Jones show interest in their children and ask for their opinions. They discuss problems and express their feelings. The family makes rules and decisions together after a discussion. The communication goes two ways: from parents to children and from children to parents.

Better communication between generations at home means better communication between generations at work and in the community. When people from different generations understand each other better, they learn from each other more. This helps them form stronger bonds, work together more easily. As a result, people of all ages can team up effectively and come up with new ideas in different parts of life.

1. What is a generation gap?
______________________________________________________
2. Where does good communication between the generations begin?
______________________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.

If Jack’ parents discuss with him where to spend their summer vacation, they use the “one-way” style of communication.

______________________________________________________
4. To bridge the generation gaps, what other suggestions would you make besides better communication? (In about 40 words)
______________________________________________________

5 . I was in my home office on a cold Sunday when I heard a quick knock on the door. I _____ downstairs, threw open the door and saw my dad _____ something wrapped up in paper in his arms. Strangely, he had given no hint (暗示) of it when we spoke on the phone last night.

“Open it.” he said.

I opened it to find a yellow begonia (秋海棠). It occurred to me that it was Mother’s Day.

“But···but I’m not a mother.” I said, _____.

My dad smiled, “Well, some special people aren’t mothers. but I think they _____ to get flowers, too.” With that, he hugged me and drove off.

Later, I called to thank him and we got to talking a lot. That’s when he let me in on his little _____. He had decided that he would challenge himself to do one act of _____ per day. It had started several weeks before when he accidentally knew a friend of his was having a rough day. He knew she loved ice cream, so he drove straight to her house with a huge tub of ice cream.

“She laughed _____ when she saw it,” he said, “It really delighted me to know that I had _____ her day.”

When asked why, he added, “I already know about the importance of being _____ in the moment. So, I try to be there with each person I am spending time with. I want them to feel important and believe in the goodness in people in that moment.”

I realized my dad was making a difference in people’s lives. ______, I also want to be more like my dad, who goes out of his way to make people feel loved and cared for.

1.

A．fell

B．waited

C．raced

D．looked

2.

A．shaking

B．pulling

C．holding

D．collecting

3.

A．annoyed

B．confused

C．worried

D．disappointed

4.

A．deserve

B．decide

C．promise

D．pretend

5.

A．celebration

B．joke

C．secret

D．excuse

6.

A．faith

B．courage

C．appreciation

D．kindness

7.

A．coldly

B．excitedly

C．proudly

D．nervously

8.

A．kept

B．spent

C．predicted

D．brightened

9.

A．present

B．healthy

C．patient

D．humorous

10.

A．Depressed

B．Inspired

C．Terrified

D．Astonished

6 . With a two-year-old behind me and fliers in my hand, I knocked on another door in my neighborhood. I had volunteered to spread the _______ about some changes at the local primary school, so I was excited to see a _______ with a baby in her arm and a preschooler tightly wrapped around her leg.

Within seconds, I realized I needed to _______ my rusty Spanish to connect with this mom. That initial conversation explained the lonely, desperate look in her eyes. I wrote my phone number on the flier and told her to _______ if she ever wanted to walk to the park with the kids.

I hadn’t _______ much about Maria until a month later when she called. Many walks around the neighborhood later, I _______ more details about her life that offered me some viewpoints about my own.

One day I sat at Maria’s kitchen table and shared some of my own family’s _______. Her eyes got big, saying “I thought I was the only one with problems.” I thought my stress was _______, but from her viewpoint, my life seemed to be a pretty package from the outside. By _______ the details of my life, I was able to give her the same gift of viewpoints she had been giving me.

Friendship can be discovered in unexpected places, as long as we find common ground with those who ________ might seem different.

1.

A．cost

B．word

C．classroom

D．workload

2.

A．babysitter

B．friend

C．mother

D．schoolmate

3.

A．speak of

B．pull out

C．deal with

D．give up

4.

A．leave

B．visit

C．watch

D．call

5.

A．thought

B．doubted

C．promised

D．complained

6.

A．predicted

B．learned

C．repeated

D．assessed

7.

A．progress

B．efforts

C．research

D．struggles

8.

A．emotional

B．low

C．obvious

D．false

9.

A．checking

B．recording

C．sharing

D．refreshing

10.

A．initially

B．easily

C．quietly

D．consequently

8 . Brad hadn’t seen Grandma Joy for six years since their fierce argument. At his brother’s wedding, he ________ her again. He saw her walk unsteadily into the church and helped her get to the seat. But they didn’t say much.

Six months after the wedding, Brad hiked the Appalachian Trail. He found himself ________ a lot about his grandmother and the time they had spent at Blue Rock State Park, which is close to her house. There, they’d lift rocks in the river to find fish. It puzzled him why that ________ in particular stayed with him. He decided to call Grandma Joy.

It would be their first real ________ in years. She invited him over and he said “yes”. When the door opened, everything inside looked the same. But he was looking at a woman who had ________. They made small talk. Grandma Joy said that she had many ________ in her life. One of them was that except her time at Blue Rock State Park, she’d never had the chance to see what she called the great outdoors.

Brad left his grandmother’s house and went back to his routine. But he couldn’t help thinking of Grandma Joy and her sadness of not seeing more of ________. She just lived a simple life that stopped at the edge of the county line. He thought it would be a lifelong pity if he didn’t ________ her. Then he came up with an idea that even he knew was ________. He would take his 85-year-old grandma on a camping trip to a national park. He told her his crazy idea. The old lady ________ him by asking, “When do we leave?”

Having arrived there, Brad made a campfire. They sat next to each other, feeling the warmth and looking at stars. They ________ the lockbox of their past, talking about families and friends, about loss and pain. They told each other they’d wasted too many years being ________. So they decided to go on more trips together.

They have now visited 62 national parks. The open road provided time for the pair to ________ their secrets. Grandma Joy highly valued Brad’s company during the trips. She said she wouldn’t ________ him for anybody. Now, they’re not just traveling partners, not just grandmother and grandson, but ________.

1.

A．missed

B．called

C．praised

D．met

2.

A．thinking

B．reading

C．asking

D．expecting

3.

A．goal

B．plan

C．dream

D．memory

4.

A．conversation

B．party

C．picnic

D．creation

5.

A．aged

B．joked

C．hurried

D．succeeded

6.

A．worries

B．regrets

C．wishes

D．challenges

7.

A．art

B．nature

C．history

D．culture

8.

A．watch out for

B．keep up with

C．reach out to

D．stay away from

9.

A．useless

B．incorrect

C．impractical

D．unnecessary

10.

A．annoyed

B．surprised

C．disappointed

D．embarrassed

11.

A．lost

B．changed

C．borrowed

D．opened

12.

A．different

B．distant

C．busy

D．polite

13.

A．keep

B．forget

C．share

D．record

14.

A．trade

B．blame

C．mistake

D．trouble

15.

A．strangers

B．competitors

C．relatives

D．friends

9 . When my father died, one of the tasks that fell to me was to sort through and decide which objects to save and which to throw away. Now I look at the objects of my life as if I were dead, wondering, what will my children do with the human skull that sits on the bookcase? They’ve been wanting to throw it out for some years, but will they know how much can be learned from living with a skull? And I know they will throw the white plastic head of a horse on my desk into a rubbish bag without a thought, never knowing that it is the only piece remaining from the first chess set I owned. It is me at age twelve.

But the final decisions are left to those who know us least — our children. I was the closest to my father and knew him well; however, only when I was going through his study did I learn he had collected picture postcards of hotels. What was I to do with all the objects that had been him? The sad part of me wanted to put everything in my car and take it home. The rational won, however, and I filled rubbish bags with old newspapers, magazines, apologizing to his spirit as I did. I could not throw out the thousands of pictures he had taken on his travels. I brought the pictures home, though I will never look at them. I brought twelve boxes of my father home.

I look at the objects that are my life and the only way my children can satisfy me is by not touching a thing. But they must if I am to go on with my death. And I wonder how many boxes of me will my children keep? I look at these objects that are me and know, too, that they are symbols of how alone I and each of us is, for no one knows what any object means except he or she who owns it. Every object of our lives is a memory, and emotion surrounds around it, hiding and protecting a tiny truth of the heart. Only I have the memories of when and how each one was obtained; I look at the objects that are me, and the memories are warm and permeated (弥漫) with love.

1. Why does the writer keep the plastic head of a horse?

A．Because his father gave it to him as a gift.

B．Because it makes him a very good chess player.

C．Because it brings back memories of his childhood.

D．Because he accepted it as a prize for a competition.

2. How did the writer deal with the remaining objects of his father after he died?

A．He threw everything away.

B．He saved some of the worthless objects.

C．He took some of them to his own house.

D．He sorted them and put them into good order.

3. What do we know about the writer?

A．He is very strict with his children.

B．He prefers to collect different skulls.

C．He relies on his children to deal with his possessions.

D．He knows more about his father after his father died.

4. According to the last paragraph, the objects we save ________.

A．serve as the symbols of our social class	B．are reminders of past experiences
C．are quite expensive and valuable	D．make us proud of ourselves