It was in the afternoon before the end of the Second World War that Antonio Black, who was twelve, caught sight of a beautiful brooch (胸针) in a shop window. The brooch is so beautiful that he was unwilling to leave the store until he had purchased it. But it was too expensive — $5. His family was very poor and his parents struggled to make ends meet. Five dollars would buy almost a week’s food for his family.
Antonio couldn’t ask his father for the money. Everything his father made through fishing went to his mother, Susan. Slim and beautiful, his mother was the center of the home and the glue that held it together. The housework was never-ending, and she struggled to feed and clothe their five children, but she was happy as her family and their well-being were all she cared about.
Nevertheless, he opened the shop’s door and went inside. Standing proudly and straight in his flour-sack (面粉袋改做的) shirt and washed-out trousers, he told the shopkeeper what he wanted, adding, “But I don’t have the money right now. Can you please hold it for me for some time?”
“I’ll try,” the shopkeeper smiled. “People around here don’t usually have that kind of money to spend on things. It should keep for a while.”
Antonio respectfully touched his worn cap and walked out. He would raise the money and not tell anybody, for he thought Mum would be surprised when she saw that brooch. On hearing the sound of hammering (锤打) from a side street, Antonio suddenly had an idea that he could raise money by selling the used nail bags. People built their own homes in Bay Roberts, using nails bought in bags from a local factory. Sometimes the used bags were thrown away at the construction site, and Antonio knew he could sell them back to the factory for five cents a piece. That day he sold two nail bags and hid the money in a rusty soda tin.
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。
Every day after school, Antonio started his plan.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The day finally came!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . In a post shared on Twitter last Monday, the woman, Amy Clukey, explained that her dad, Rick, a beekeeper, died of lung cancer about nine years ago. But, before passing away, he wrote a note that he hoped one of his children would later find, and finally after so long, her little brother, who is now 16 years old, found it in his father’s beekeeping clothes.
The note said, “I hope one of my children is curious about beekeeping. Beekeeping is actually pretty easy and you can learn everything online. Bees make more products than just honey; it can be a source of extra income. So don’t be afraid, have courage. Good luck. Love Dad.”
The bee population in 2019 consisted primarily of wild bees, and North Dakota has the highest honey production with over 38 million pounds.
Clukey explained that her father bought a farm when he was in his 40s, and it was then that he took up beekeeping and other hobbies like raising cattle and horses. She added, “When he was diagnosed (诊断) with stage 4 lung cancer, the doctors told him that he had 18 months to live. He was a fighter: He lived 5 years and a week after his diagnosis.”
The post has attracted a lot of readers on the platform and has received over 42,800 likes, 2,333 comments, and 749,000 re-shares in less than 24 hours, and in the comments, the woman added that while she doesn’t do beekeeping herself, two of her brothers are interested in it.
One user commented, “I lost my dad in 2018. This post makes me cry.” And another user said, “My dad is in the last few weeks of his life battling cancer. I’ll come back to the post in a couple of months when I need it again.” And one also shared the story of her personal loss, writing, “I lost my husband half a year ago. He used to leave little notes all over the house. I can’t bring myself to move anything.”
1. What did the father wish according to the text?| A．His children could make big money. |
| B．One of his children could find the hidden note. |
| C．One of his children could be interested in keeping bees. |
| D．His children could make great contribution to the honey production. |
| A．Hard-working and brave. | B．Wealthy and healthy. |
| C．Easy-going and intelligent. | D．Generous and wise. |
| A．They are all beekeepers. | B．They are all moved by the note. |
| C．They all lost their loved ones. | D．They all found the family member’s notes. |
| A．A father’s death touched people’s hearts. |
| B．People made comments on a father’s death. |
| C．A father’s note posted online attracted attention. |
| D．Beekeeping is important for many families. |
I am Denise Clarice, the only one in my class who does not have a pet. No dog waits for me at the bus stop. No cat sits beside me while I read. I don’t even have a tiny, furry hamster (仓鼠) to hold in my hand. But I don’t feel sorry. Why?
The rule about no pets at our house is not because I am too young to have pets, because I am 1l years old. Besides, I am very responsible. I always return library books on time and I do my homework every day, even when I would rather play in the grass. The rule about no pets is because of Kevin. He is my little brother and he is sensitive to pets, which make him sneeze (打喷嚏).
One day, when I was walking home from school, I heard a soft little sound from behind a garbage. I stopped and listened. There it was. I heard the sound again. I walked quietly up the driveway and looked behind the garbage. A tiny ball of gray fur looked up at me and said, “Meow.” Before I knew it, I was holding the cat. Before I knew it, I was walking toward home, holding the cat in my arms. She must be lost. “Finders keepers,” I thought.
I took the cat upstairs to my room. We played with a ball, and she jumped high to catch the ball. I was excited that I made a comfortable little bed for her in a box with a small blanket and gave her milk to drink. Soon, my mother called me to dinner.
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。
Not long after I sat down at the table, Kevin started sneezing.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the end, I had to return the cat.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . My Father, the Family Man
This year, my seasonal depression took me deeperssion the past, and a new portrait of my father came into my mind. He was a sometimes difficult, always determined man.
In my early memories, I was sitting at the kitchen table listening to my father yelling (叫嚷) about his challenges as an Italian immigrant. Back then, I couldn’t have known his pain as he struggled to find his footing in this new land.
“We left Italy to give you three girls more opportunities for a better life,” he said. “But we’d had a shaky start. The apartment your aunt had secured for us fell through at the last minute. It went to someone without children. So the five of us moved into your aunt’s living room.”
Bills mounted up. “And then I saw your mother’s face was as white as a sheet.” He said bitterly but soon stared down at the table to compose himself. “And the baby was crying. I worried that the houseowner would come knocking on the door.”
Dad jumped to the end of his story, “What more can I say? I went looking for a job. I found one.”
Armed with a few English phrases and determination, he’d walked for miles in a city he didn’t know, stopping at every hair salon, asking for a chance to show his skills as a hair stylist, his profession and passion. That’s what he’d been doing all day, supporting for his family.
Forty years later in Toronto, he sat at the table, asking if I thought he’d provided well for his family. I answered. His eyes watered. Mine did, too.
1. What did the author think of her father in the early years?| A．The father left Italy for a better job. |
| B．He was moved by his father’s story. |
| C．The father’s early struggle was in vain. |
| D．He didn’t realize his father’s difficulties. |
| A．Show off. | B．Cheer up. | C．Calm down. | D．Make up. |
| A．The father had a big family to support. |
| B．The author’s eyes watered for her childhood. |
| C．The father and daughter misunderstood each other. |
| D．The father learned to be a hair stylist in Toronto. |
5 . There’s a quote putting, “life doesn’t come with a manual (手册); it comes with a mother.” Thankfully, for Jabez and Christopher, their manual — or mother — found a creative way to keep her little boys’ fingers safe around a sewing machine. And as a result, she turned them into successful business owners.
Queenie Jenkins from Atlanta worked in the fashion industry and in her spare time, made matching scarves and skirts on her sewing machine at home. But once she became a mother with two energetic boys at her feet, her hobby became both difficult and dangerous. So, she turned the problem into a life lesson. Jenkins taught her boys how to use the sewing machine skilfully and safely. It wasn’t long before the boys were no longer green hands. As they grew older, they knew how to change the trousers into shorts for the summer months well.
When Jabez’s elementary school held a Career Day, he made 30 bow ties and 30 hair bows to sell. Within minutes, all of them had sold out. Then Jabez launched Kings and Gents Accessories, a small workshop, in 2018 with his brother. In addition to making and selling their bow ties, the brothers have also written a book and created a YouTube channel to host meetings for other potential “kidpreneurs (儿童企业家)”.
Now as a freshman in high school, Jabez said inspiring the next generation of business owners is an important part of their mission. “We just wanted to show younger kids how we got started, and how they can get started,” said Jabez, “We’re no different than any other kids.”
Jenkins has plenty to be proud of. Not only have her boys created a successful business, but they’ve gained valuable life skills along the way. “They’ve learned not to give up, to be more creative, and to be thinkers,” said Jenkins. “They don’t allow their fear to stop them.”
1. In which aspect do Jabez and Christopher benefit most from their mother’ sewing machine?| A．Life skills. | B．Safety rules. |
| C．Business plans. | D．Cloth materials. |
| A．Awkward learners. | B．Attractive experts. |
| C．Admirable pioneers. | D．Amazing artists. |
| A．Over-all. | B．One-sided. | C．Short-lived. | D．Far-reaching. |
| A．Mama’s sewing machine |
| B．Business on the rocks |
| C．Sewing the seeds of success |
| D．Developing creative thinking |
6 . When I was about 12 years old, my older brother, James, smuggled (偷运) a BB gun into the house. Our parents had told us many times that we were not allowed to bring home guns or knives, even if they were just toys. Having any form of weaponry (兵器) in our home was strictly forbidden.
James brought me to his room. He opened his closet door and look out a shoebox that was buried beneath a heap of clothes. The BB gun was inside. I was immediately attracted by the shiny barrel (枪管).
“Can I shoot it, James?” I asked, hopefully.
“No way,” James said, taking it from me and putting it back.
One day, when no one was home, I went into Jame’s closet and took it out. For some incomprehensible reason -- I have no idea what I was thinking I went to the front window of the second floor in our row house. I cracked the window open. I pointed the gun outside and shot. I quickly shut the window and looked outside secretly.
In a matter of seconds, old Mr. Schlosberg came out of his grocery store. He looked back at his store window. He looked up the street. He looked down the street. Then he looked straight across to our house.
Thankfully, James made it home before Mother or Father.
As he stepped through the door, I could hear old Mr. Schlosberg call his name. “James, James,” he called. “Come here, son.”
After several minutes, James ran back across the street and into the living room. I had retreated into the kitchen. “Alma!” he screamed. “Get out here! You cracked Mr. Schlosberg’s window with my BB gun!”
“Oh, please, James,” I begged. “Don’t let him tell Mother. She will hit my bottom real good!” James sighed. He wiped my tears and went back across the street to Mr. Schlosberg’s. I don’t know what James said to that man, but there was never a mention of the incident again.
Years later, I found out James had used the money he got from his newspaper route to pay for Mr. Schlosberg’s cracked window. He only got one cent for every paper he delivered. He managed to pay back the debt just before he went off to fight in World War II.
Since that day, I have never touched a gun: a BB gun, a water gun, a real gun, or any other type.
1. The word “retreated” in the middle of the passage is closest in meaning to “_________”.| A．rushed happily | B．moved excitedly |
| C．wandered unhurriedly | D．escaped quietly |
| A．To deal with the problem. | B．To talk with his parents. |
| C．To throw away the gun. | D．To tell the truth. |
| A．Responsible and strict. | B．Brave and determined. |
| C．Responsible and caring. | D．Naughty and determined. |
| A．A Warmhearted Brother | B．A BB Gun |
| C．A Cracked Window | D．An Incident |
A few minutes later, the other two cyclists arrived. They were shocked to find Mac’s bicycle lying on the road, his tent bag torn and Mac just like a drowned mouse. They asked anxiously
1. Who is ill in the hospital?
| A．Jack’s mother. | B．Jack’s father. | C．Jack’s wife. |
| A．In the evening. | B．Right now. | C．Tomorrow. |
9 . In 1963, at age 65, my grandfather decided to build a new house on his farm. In order to save money, he hired a bulldozer (推土机) to
We moved in the farm two years after my father passed away. When my wife took one look at the
I walked into the woods where the old house sat. Most of the windows were
As I left the old house that day, I took one last
| A．construct | B．break | C．push | D．repair |
| A．grass | B．woods | C．stream | D．hill |
| A．lost | B．abandoned | C．big | D．familiar |
| A．forbade | B．appreciated | C．proposed | D．imagined |
| A．impossible | B．interesting | C．strange | D．necessary |
| A．left behind | B．passed down | C．taken in | D．put up |
| A．cheap | B．gone | C．empty | D．large |
| A．book | B．wallet | C．umbrella | D．envelope |
| A．letters | B．lines | C．texts | D．pieces |
| A．excited | B．nervous | C．weak | D．homesick |
| A．bottom | B．title | C．back | D．surface |
| A．burned | B．hurt | C．covered | D．protected |
| A．calmly | B．proudly | C．carefully | D．politely |
| A．breath | B．photo | C．note | D．glance |
| A．promise | B．hope | C．guess | D．decide |
10 . I often read of incidents of misunderstanding or conflict. I’m left
I was growing up in Kuala Lumpur in the early 1960s, when children from different races and religions played and studied together
One spring afternoon in 1983, I stopped a taxi in Kuala Lumpur. When I
If we can allow our children to be themselves without prejudice, they’ll build friendships with people
| A．fascinated | B．curious | C．frustrated | D．puzzled |
| A．parties | B．nationalities | C．regions | D．races |
| A．at random | B．in harmony | C．on occasion | D．by turns |
| A．cast | B．drop | C．flight | D．roll |
| A．embraced | B．removed | C．sought | D．defended |
| A．paid | B．preserved | C．meant | D．treated |
| A．get through | B．come across | C．deal with | D．run into |
| A．absence | B．choice | C．effort | D．company |
| A．stated | B．traced | C．decided | D．ordered |
| A．instructions | B．attempts | C．intentions | D．arrangements |
| A．similarly | B．strangely | C．familiarly | D．dramatically |
| A．departures | B．decades | C．years | D．months |
| A．infection | B．affection | C．motivation | D．homesickness |
| A．let alone | B．according to | C．rather than | D．regardless of |
| A．from | B．with | C．by | D．against |
