1 . 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 |
2 . Every August, teams with players about 10 years old play baseball across the US, with the aim to become Little League
On August 7th, Kaiden Shelton, from Texas,
Isaiah called a timeout upon seeing his
A video of the moment was posted online and attracted more than 6.5 million views. Danny Graves, a sports announcer, said Isaiah’s
The Texas team won the game 9-4 to
| A．candidates | B．volunteers | C．champions | D．reporters |
| A．replaced | B．hugged | C．challenged | D．identified |
| A．embarrassing | B．confusing | C．amusing | D．touching |
| A．faced | B．saved | C．assisted | D．needed |
| A．possibly | B．suddenly | C．gradually | D．nearly |
| A．attended to | B．appealed to | C．referred to | D．objected to |
| A．video | B．celebration | C．game | D．tournament |
| A．disappointed | B．annoyed | C．surprised | D．panicked |
| A．partner | B．opponent | C．coach | D．fan |
| A．protect | B．rescue | C．comfort | D．instruct |
| A．powerful | B．typical | C．familiar | D．contradictory |
| A．strength | B．sportsmanship | C．generosity | D．politeness |
| A．apply | B．return | C．connect | D．head |
| A．linked | B．admitted | C．invited | D．selected |
| A．friendship | B．popularity | C．wealth | D．freedom |
As a young boy, I was carefree. Every vacation I looked forward to two things—seeing my grandpa and hearing his wonderful stories. My grandpa was a very good storyteller. He had worked various odd jobs when he was young and wove his adventures and misadventures into fantastic tales. These wonderful tales colored my childhood.
As I grew up, I had to admit that Grandpa’s stories went on a little long, even a little boring and gradually lost their magic. However, not wanting to upset him, my brother and I would sometimes take turns sitting in the living room, listening to grandpa tell his stories.
When my grandpa was approaching 91, he suffered from serious memory-loss. It was kind of what doctors called dementia (痴呆), probably the earliest stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Following the doctor’s directions, we moved him into a Sunrise Assisted Living Community, where he could get a better care. After that, grandpa hardly came to our house.
One weekend before my grandpa’s birthday, I came to visit him. Seeing grandpa sitting in his armchair, dull-looking, I was consumed with mixed feelings. I wheeled grandpa to the sunshine in the courtyard, talking to him. He couldn’t express himself clearly and spoke in short bursts, but I listened to him patiently and carefully just as I used to be a little boy.
It was then that I noticed a shadow box with some old and yellowish photos in it. I picked one up, in which my brother, several boys in our neighborhood, and I were playing basketball with grandpa cheering us on twenty years before. My mind flashed back to those beautiful memories. Back then, Grandpa was in good physical condition and we were all wearing basketball jerseys, playing and laughing with abandon. I presented the photo to my grandpa, pointing at each member and reminding him of their names. Incredibly, grandpa could speak out the name of every player. I even caught a soft light in grandpa’s eyes and a smile on his lips.
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。
A bright idea for grandpa’s birthday came to my mind.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Seeing “the same players” playing there, grandpa seemed to have thought of something.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________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。
Paragraph 1:
A few weeks later, Peter was walking home when something unexpected caught his attention.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
On his way back home, he kept thinking about how he would apologize to his mother:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Green Thumb
All I did was show my little sister how to grow plants. Dig a hole. Put in a seed. Cover it with dirt. Water it. Wait. “See, Laynie,” I explained, “a whole plant will grow from this tiny seed. All we have to do is water it.”
Laynie had her own watering can so she could “help” me in the garden. One day, after everything was watered, she ran to the fence and started sprinkling water on another spot. I walked over and saw a fresh patch of dirt near the fence.
“Did you plant something there?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m growing a pencil. My purple pencil got too small, so I planted it.”
“What? But, Laynie—”
I should have explained things right then, but I just muttered, “Uh…I never grew one before.”
Later I got what seemed like a great idea. I dug up Laynie’s pencil and “planted” a brand-new purple pencil. Laynie was really excited when she saw it. “My pencil grew!” she shouted.
A few days later, Laynie was watering on the same spot. Two days later, new crayons sticking their pointy little heads out, thanks to me. Laynie jumped up and down and yelled, “They look like flowers!” She “picked” them and ran into the house.
Next, Laynie grew an adult bear doll from a tiny one, a soup spoon from a teaspoon, and a hand mirror from a piece of glass. When she claimed that she had grown these things, I just kept my mouth shut! Actually, it was fun trying to think of what should grow from Laynie’s seeds. And it was cool to see her get excited.
One day I saw her patting down some dirt near the fence again, so I knew she’d just planted something. My heart dropped to my feet when she asked, “How long does it take to grow a goldfish, Brad?” I couldn’t speak.
“Not long, I bet!” said Laynie. She knelt down to whisper “Grow, Molly. Grow!” before she skipped back to the house.
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。
I sat down with my back to the fence and thought for a long time.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Later I found Laynie sitting by the spot where Molly was buried.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . I worked in a small company with about thirty-five employees (雇员). We had a good-sized kitchen with a fridge that several employees used. But people would often go to the fridge to surprisingly find either their whole lunch missing, or in my case, my can of Cherry Coke gone. I usually kept it in my lunch bag. At times when I bought takeaway food, I would get two—one for lunch and one for dinner—so I didn’t have my lunch bag. Even so, I often couldn’t find the food. It was a shock to everyone.
We doubted who was stealing, but could never prove (证明) it. One day, a good idea came to my mind, and I couldn’t wait to try it.
It was break time at noon. I headed down to the kitchen about five minutes early and gave my Coke such a hard shake that I feared it may actually go off in my hands. I placed it back in the fridge. Then, I hid into a cupboard in the kitchen, waiting for the right moment.
BINGO! A lady came in and took the Coke. I put my hand over my mouth for her to open it, but she took it with her and left. I thought she would open it in the hall. No!
As I left the kitchen, I heard her yell (叫喊). I passed her office, and Coke was everywhere: the walls, the floor, all over her desk, computer, her work, and all over her—everywhere!
Well, food has never gone missing again since then because the lady got fired.
1. Why did the employees feel surprised?| A．Their lunch was often lost. |
| B．The fridge was full of free food. |
| C．The kitchen was never clean. |
| D．The company was small-sized. |
| A．To play a joke on the lady. |
| B．To carry out some repairs inside. |
| C．To find out who was stealing. |
| D．To prove who was the best worker. |
| A．The kitchen. | B．The drink | C．The hand. | D．The fridge. |
| A．A small company. | B．An honest lady. |
| C．A special lunch. | D．An office story. |
Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi. Once, I was called at 3 a.m. to pick someone up. When I arrived, the building was completely dark except for one light in a window. Often, many drivers would just honk ( 按喇叭) once or twice, wait a short minute, then drive away.
But unless a real danger, I always went to the door to find the passenger. It might be someone who needed my assistance. Would I not want a driver to do the same if my mother or father had called for a taxi?
So I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered a weak and elderly voice. I could hear the sound of something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80s stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase. “Would you carry my bag out to the car?” she said. “I’d like a few moments alone. Then, if you could come back and help me? I’m not very strong.”
I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm, and we walked slowly toward the cab. She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
“Oh, you’re such a good boy,” she said. When we got in the taxi, she gave me an address. Then she asked, “Could you drive through the downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered. “I don’t mind,” she said, “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to the nursing home.” I saw her eyes shining with tears. “I don’t have any family left,” she continued. “The doctor says I am too old to live alone.”
I quietly turned off the meter (计程器). “What road do you want me to take?” I asked. “First, take me to Sunrise Street. That’s where I was born.”
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。
For hours, we drove through the city.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“How much do I owe you?” she asked, reaching for her purse.
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A Special Gift
I always believe that there are certain gifts sticking in our minds for a variety of reasons.
The gift given to me that I treasured most was a doll named Patsy. I met her in a gift shop when I was nine. On holding Patsy I immediately fell in love with her and couldn’t even bear to part from her. At that time, my mother noticed it and at Christmas, as I received the gift from her, I was surprised to find my dream doll in the box. From then on Patsy became my baby and I loved her dearly.
A month later, I was on my way to the cinema when I glimpsed some lovely gifts in pretty boxes through the window of the gift shop. Seeing them reminded me that my mother’s birthday was a few months away. Wouldn’t it be nice, I thought, if I could give her something really special, just like the gift she gave me? I stepped inside and caught sight of a beautiful dress hung on the coat stand, which I was sure my mother would like. So I asked the saleswoman its price.
The lady must have seen my disappointment when she told me how much it would cost. But she had a suggestion which immediately lifted my spirits. She took out a notebook from under the counter and wrote my name as well as the item I wanted to buy on it, and in return I paid her five cents from my six cents pocket money. It meant no candies that day but I didn’t care. At the age of nine, I made my very first installment (分期付款)and felt like a grown-up. From then on, every Saturday on my way to the cinema, I went to the shop and paid a few cents which the lady dutifully recorded on her notebook.
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。
The day before my mother’s birthday, I paid the last two cents.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The special day finally came.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9 . My son just turned 14 and does not have a smartphone. When he graduated from Grade 8, he was the only kid in his class without one. He asks for a phone now that he’s going to high school. I say no, he asks why, I explain, and he pushes back.
“You can choose to do things differently when you’re a parent,” I told him. But sometimes, I wonder if I’m being too stubborn or unfair.
The more I research, the more confident I feel in my decision. Many studies link the current mental health crisis among adolescents to fundamental changes in how they socialize, namely, the shift from in-person to online interaction.
But other mothers challenge my view. “He must feel so left out!” Then there are the parents who tell me sadly that they wish they had delayed their teenager’s phone ownership longer than they did. They urge me to hold out.
If teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 are truly spending an average of 8 hours 39 minutes per day on their devices, as stated in a survey conducted by Common Sense Media, then what are they not doing? Kids absorbed in their devices are missing out on real life, and that strikes me as really sad.
I want my son to have a childhood he feels satisfied with and proud of. I want it to be full of adventures, imaginative play and physical challenges which he must sort out himself without asking me for help. The easiest and simplest way to achieve these goals is to delay giving him a smartphone.
Some think my son is missing out or falling behind, but he is not. He does well in school and extra-curricular activities, hangs out with his friends in person, and moves independently around our small town. He promises he’ll give his own 14-year-old a phone someday, and I tell him that’s fine. But recently, he admitted that he missed the beautiful scenery on a drive to a nearby mountain because he had been so absorbed in his friend’s iPad. If that is his version of admitting I’m right, I’ll take it.
1. What does the underlined phrase “pushes back” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Agrees. | B．Delays. | C．Opposes. | D．Persuades. |
| A．Her son’s online safety. |
| B．Her son’s mental growth. |
| C．Her son’s reduced physical activities. |
| D．Her son’s poor academic performance. |
| A．Team spirit. | B．Leadership. |
| C．Independence. | D．Critical thinking. |
| A．He is falling behind academically. |
| B．He is easily influenced by his friends. |
| C．He has given up his desire for a smartphone. |
| D．He has realized the problems of much screen time. |
“Daddy, I want to ask your permission to study in America,” I said to my father a few months before my graduation from high school. But hardly before I finished, he shouted, “No!”
“But why?” I replied. “If you are worried about money, it will be OK since I have got a scholarship…”
But he refused to give in. At the moment, I didn’t know what to say. For more than two years, I had been working very hard to pass all the necessary examinations. I had not told my father because I wanted to give him a pleasant surprise. I thought he would be very proud of me because it was many of my classmates’ parents’ dream to send their children to study abroad.
“Why do I have to get your permission? I am already 18 and I’m not a kid anymore.” I said angrily and rushed to my bedroom, shutting the door violently. Blinded by anger, I found that I could not stay at my hometown any longer. Late that night, I slipped out of the house and decided to take the bus to the railway station to start my own life as far away from my home as possible.
The bus stop was just two blocks away from my home. When I got there, I found that I forgot to take any money with me and missed the last bus. I did not want to go back home, so I sat down on the bench and closed my eyes to have a break.
Suddenly, I was woken up by my phone. I looked around and found the road was deserted and the street was so quiet that I regretted that I had left home in such a hurry. I picked up the phone and answered the phone even without checking the number.
“Have you had a good sleep? It’s going to rain. Shall we go home now?”
注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
It was my father’s voice!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I grabbed my bag and hurried to ward him.
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