1 . My grandfather was a rigid perfectionist. Everything had to be orderly, precise and punctual. I was frightened of him until the day he died. Growing up, my mother desperately wanted to please him. She probably thought he might leave if she didn’t.
In fact, I now think the fear of being left alone, abandoned, was a current throughout much of her life. A few years into my father suffering from Alzheimer, my mother’s voice on the phone sounded so upset that I had to tell her, “Just be with yourself for a little while.”
“No, I can’t do that. I don’t want to do that,” she said abruptly, closing the door on the subject. A while after my father died, she told me that she kept the television on all the time because it made her feel less lonely. “It makes the house seem more lived in,” she said. I had given in to my annoyance and either turned the volume down or turned it off. But after she told me that it filled in some of the loneliness, I never reached for the remote again.
We have had a long journey together, she and I. Over a half-century of memories, now that the journey has ended, I have a choice which ones to study which ones to turn over in my hands and dust off.
I choose to look at the ones that ache with a sweet truth not told often enough: there was love between us. It was just hard to find sometimes. I choose to remember her face on that winter day in Manhattan, when I came to her with a broken heart. I choose to remember walking on the shore with her in summers when we rented a beach house; somehow the sea always transformed us. And how she looked on my wedding day when she handed me a bracelet that had belonged to my grandmother. “Something old,” she said.
1. From the author’s point of view, what did her mother feel in her much time of life?| A．A sense of relief. | B．A sense of excitement. |
| C．A sense of being deserted. | D．A sense of being pleased. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By stating arguments. |
| C．By interviewing her father. | D．By visiting her grandfather. |
| A．express regret for her grandfather |
| B．show her sympathy toward her mother |
| C．reveal her deep feelings for her mother |
| D．emphasize her concern about the generation gap |
2 . When I was in school, I participated in an internship (实习期) with a hospital chaplain (牧师). This largely included me visiting certain hospital patients and then discussing the communication with the chaplain.
I had no special training in this, and introducing myself to strangers was not my natural talent. On one visit, I cautiously entered a darkened room to find an elderly man lying lonely in the bed. He was awake, but very weak, confused and anxious. He badly wanted to communicate something, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. He obviously didn’t want me to leave, but I felt so lost and uncomfortable that I had to leave the room after only several minutes.
The next time I was at the hospital, I was arranged to make follow-up visits with the same list of patients. I expected my time with the old man to be just as short as the last time. As I arrived at the room, the first thing I noticed was that the lights were on. His daughter was there visiting him. He was sitting in the bed and looked much better. I was certain the man didn’t remember me at all, but he recognized me immediately, saying, "I remember you. You were the angel that gave me hope in my darkest hour!" I was so amazed that I didn’t know how to respond.
I may never be able to explain it, but somehow he found in me something he needed at an important point in his life, just because I was there. I have thought about this encounter (相遇) often over the past 25 years. It has shaped the way I see life, the way I see myself, and the way I see others. Obviously, we can’t know the effect our actions, or even just our presence, will have on life.
1. Why did the writer leave the elderly man soon on the first visit?| A．They had a short and boring conversation. |
| B．The elderly man wanted to stay by himself. |
| C．The writer was frightened by the elderly man. |
| D．The writer didn’t know what he could do to help. |
| A．The elderly man’s condition turned much better. |
| B．The elderly man could hardly remember the writer. |
| C．The writer planned to communicate more deeply with the elderly man. |
| D．The writer wasn’t surprised at being called an angel by the elderly man. |
| A．he was encouraged by the writer’s words |
| B．the writer’s second visit moved him deeply |
| C．he was impressed by the writer’s friendliness |
| D．the writer’s first visit gave him much strength |
| A．Getting a New Talent. | B．An Angel by Accident. |
| C．Saving a Lonely Old Man. | D．Communication Makes Life Better. |
3 . Growing up, I understood one thing about my dad: He knew everything. I asked him questions and he gave me
But then, eventually, I
Then, this past summer, my dad said that he once spent a summer in college building boats. “You did?” I asked. I thought I knew everything about my dad. However, I never knew this. I
A few weeks later, I called my parents. Dad answered. “Hi, sweetie. Here’s Mom.,” he said.
| A．reminders | B．reports | C．responses | D．reasons |
| A．rent | B．view | C．use | D．fix |
| A．knew | B．needed | C．missed | D．saw |
| A．knowledge | B．resource | C．freedom | D．character |
| A．arrangement | B．meeting | C．performance | D．conversation |
| A．explanation | B．tension | C．silence | D．exchange |
| A．certainly | B．usually | C．hardly | D．particularly |
| A．acquired | B．shared | C．gathered | D．stressed |
| A．proved | B．complained | C．guessed | D．realized |
| A．shame | B．doubt | C．shock | D．pity |
| A．Lucky | B．Eager | C．Ready | D．Happy |
| A．aimed at | B．got through | C．stuck to | D．ended up |
| A．normal | B．long | C．personal | D．serious |
| A．advance | B．opportunity | C．beginning | D．agreement |
| A．learn | B．want | C．promise | D．prepare |
4 . Ways to Show Gratitude (感激)
COVID-19 has a way of making people feel like their world was turned upside down overnight. They struggle with feeling frightened and feeling like everyone is overreacting (反应过度).
Give thanks for everyday things
One way to make gratitude a regular part of your day is to make it a habit to think of three things you are thankful for each day. It doesn’t really matter whether you perform this exercise first thing in the morning or just before you go to bed. The important thing is that you’re taking time and reflecting on what you are grateful for.
Keep track of everything you’re grateful for
Using a phone app like Gratitude Plus, you can record the things you’re grateful for. Another option is to use social media or even post-it notes to express your gratitude.
Reflect on past negative experiences
Look back on the worst moments in your life.
| A．Make gratitude a daily habit. |
| B．Stick to expressing gratitude in public. |
| C．Then, compare those with where you are now. |
| D．Gratitude doesn’t have to be over the top or something significant. |
| E．You can hardly stay strong while recalling the moments that ever happened. |
| F．But learning to practice gratitude every day can bring some changes to your life. |
| G．The key is to use a method to help you remember the things you are grateful for. |
5 . I was with my mom one day as we took a walk while window shopping. We both knew we wouldn't be buying much. I remember I was looking up at the people we passed as we walked. Ladies wore 5-inch heels and bright clothes. Men wore expensive perfumes and creams that wiped away the wrinkles on their faces. An uneasy feeling started to settle in my chest. I could deny it no longer and I was ashamed of my mom.
We were in a high-class neighborhood. We lived in a small, expensive apartment building at the edge of our county. Mom chose to move there because she knew the schools were good. I realized for the first time that we didn't belong there.
I could see the heavy lines around my mom's eyes and mouth. She wore cheap clothes and worm-out shoes. Her eyes were tired from working long hours to make ends meet, and her hair was too gray for her age. She was nothing extraordinary, yet at that moment, she stood out because she was just so plain. I didn't want to be seen with her although there was no one important around to see me anyway. I felt embarrassed about being at her side. We were standing in the middle of a high-end store, and she was holding a sweater.
Mom said, “Anna, this will look good on you. Do you want it?” It Was much too expensive, but I almost thoughtlessly answered “Yes”. Then I took a closer look at the small, tired woman with a big smile and a sweater in her hands, happy to be giving me something so nice. My words died in my throat. Her clothes were worn and old because she spent her money buying me new ones. She looked so tired because she was busy working to provide for me. She didn't wear jewelry or perfumes because she was content with spending what little money she had on me. Suddenly, my mom was beautiful and extraordinarily wonderful in my eyes. I was no longer ashamed of her, but of myself.
“Do you want it?” Mom repeated.
“No, thanks,” I replied.
1. Why did the author describe the passers-by while window-shopping?| A．To stress her mother was plain. |
| B．To show she envied rich people. |
| C．To suggest she was curious about others. |
| D．To indicate she was in an expensive neighborhood. |
| A．Studying at a top school. | B．Going window-shopping. |
| C．Being seen with her mom. | D．Living in a small apartment. |
| A．She was afraid of being blamed by her mom. |
| B．She was too excited to say anything about the sweater. |
| C．She felt her mom was so ordinary that she stopped speaking. |
| D．She failed to speak after realizing her mom's great sacrifices. |
| A．Misunderstanding Mom | B．Refusing Mom's Kindness |
| C．Feeling Ashamed of Mom | D．Going Shopping with Mom |
