Sharing New Year with Strangers
I come from a large multicultural family, spread out across the globe. Despite being found in distant corners of the world, we’re a tight-knit family that makes an effort to stay close and keep in touch. New Year has always been a special time for us and a chance for us all to come together, no matter where in the world we might be.
My aunt Samantha, known affectionately by everyone in the family as Mantha, loved New Year and always went out of her way to make it cosy and magical for everyone around her. Mantha was kind, fun and full of energy so it wasn’t hard to get into the New Year spirit when she was around.
This year was no exception. Mantha drove three hours from her house in Bournemouth to visit everyone two weeks before New Year and to drop off presents to her friends still in the area. We chatted merrily about our plans, laughed at how organized Mantha was — presents already bought and wrapped and the freezer full ahead of the big day — and kissed goodbye when it was time to leave. So just several days before New Year, when Mantha’s son called us saying Samantha had passed away suddenly at home, none of us could quite believe it. I’d only been messaging her the day before, sharing voice notes like we always liked to do.
Mantha had had a blood clot (血块) that had unfortunately travelled to her lung and despite the paramedic’s best efforts, they were unable to save my beloved, fun, wonderful aunt.
So close to New Year, none of us felt like celebrating and we decided we’d have a quiet day at home, surrounded by family. The silence lasted until my sister-in-law, Vera, told us about some colleagues of hers who’d just arrived in the UK far away from friends and family. And they were eager to experience a proper English New Year.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 开头已给出。
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Hearing this, we were in a dilemma.
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When the day finally came, we welcomed them into our house.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. How was the weather early in the morning?
A.Sunny. | B.Cloudy. | C.Rainy. |
A.Disappointed. | B.Ambiguous. | C.Understanding. |
A.By plane. | B.By bus. | C.By subway. |
A.His boss. | B.His wife. | C.His doctor. |
1. What is the man worried about?
A.His friend’s visit. |
B.Loss of his friend. |
C.His poor cooking. |
A.Download an app. |
B.Cook unique cuisines. |
C.Go out with his friend. |
6 . Quite often my mother would
One evening as I was setting the table, Marge, a neighbor woman,
“No, it’s all right,” replied my mother. “We’re not expecting company.”
“Well then,” said Marge with a(n)
“Because,” my mom answered, “I’ve prepared my family’s favorite meal. If you
“Well yes, but your beautiful china will get chips,” responded Marge.
“Oh well,” said Mom
Mom walked to the cupboard and
We all laughed. At that moment, I knew for sure that the china held for mother a number of love
A.beg | B.request | C.push | D.stop |
A.occurred | B.started | C.covered | D.exchanged |
A.remembered | B.admitted | C.questioned | D.observed |
A.settled down | B.came across | C.dropped by | D.passed on |
A.knocked | B.beat | C.lay | D.hit |
A.aiming | B.laughing | C.glaring | D.glancing |
A.company | B.delivery | C.cooks | D.strangers |
A.annoyed | B.puzzled | C.exhausted | D.depressed |
A.buy | B.set | C.polish | D.repair |
A.guest | B.neighbor | C.family | D.boss |
A.coolly | B.calmly | C.cautiously | D.casually |
A.mistake | B.trouble | C.debt | D.price |
A.turned in | B.tidied up | C.took down | D.threw away |
A.helpful | B.harmful | C.grateful | D.graceful |
A.accidents | B.stories | C.explanations | D.dishes |
A.An actress. | B.A writer. | C.A director. |
8 . For the past 18 years, my daughter has been around me all the time. Now that she is in college, the
A week ago, my daughter wanted to
Research shows that parents are
We may have to
A.problem | B.progress | C.goal | D.context |
A.cold | B.special | C.different | D.casual |
A.normal | B.idea | C.approach | D.solution |
A.catch up | B.take over | C.check out | D.break away |
A.visited | B.touched | C.tried | D.emailed |
A.by taxi | B.by text | C.in private | D.in person |
A.stupid | B.angry | C.excited | D.asleep |
A.available | B.interested | C.ready | D.guilty |
A.saddest | B.busiest | C.happiest | D.best |
A.decide | B.wonder | C.investigate | D.distinguish |
A.kind | B.appreciative | C.sensitive | D.relevant |
A.voice | B.ignore | C.shift | D.continue |
A.human | B.virtual | C.physical | D.permanent |
A.widened | B.formed | C.broken | D.bridged |
A.college | B.relationship | C.change | D.communication |
1. Who gave Lucy the bike?
A.Her sister. | B.Her mother. | C.Her brother, |
A.He is very talkative. | B.He is not generous. | C.He never tells a lie. |
A.Their hobbies. | B.Their friends. | C.Their bicycles. |
Catherine had stayed at home all her life to look after her three children, but now, she, who lost her husband in a car accident, had to step out and earn money to make ends meet. With zero work experience and no professional degree, her chances of getting hired for a well-paid job were next to zero.
One day, after dropping her children at school, Catherine spotted a construction site. “I think I can work here,” she thought and approached the manager.
“Hi, are you hiring?” she asked. “Yes, we are,” the manager looked at Catherine from head to toe. “Are you sure you can work here? This job requires a lot of hard work.” “I’m ready for it,” she told the manager and signed a contract to work a 12-hour shift.
However, Catherine kept her new job a secret from her children. She thought they would feel embarrassed after learning their mother worked at a construction site.
Every morning, after dropping her children to school, she would go to the construction site and work until her shift ended. She would pick up heavy bricks on her shoulder to transport them from one part of the site to the other. One evening, Catherine’s son, Peter, told her about an upcoming contest in school that required mothers to participate. In the competition, students will wear blindfolds and have to recognize their mothers without looking at them. “That sounds like such a cool event, Peter!” Catherine said excitedly. “I can’t wait for it!” “I won’t go therewith you, mom,” Peter replied. “But why?” What her son said next was something Catherine wasn’t prepared to hear.
“Mom, I would have to touch your hands to recognize you, and everyone would look at them,” Peter explained. “Your hands are so ugly. They’re so hard and rough,” he added. “I will feel so embarrassed when my classmates look at your hands,” the boy said. “I won’t attend the event.” Catherine felt terrible but couldn’t say anything in her defense.
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。
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A few weeks later, Peter was walking home when something unexpected caught his attention.
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On his way back home, he kept thinking about how he would apologize to his mother:
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