1 . When I was in eighth grade, my English teacher Joan announced that we were going to learn about prepositional phrases (介词短语). “There are over forty commonly used prepositions,” she continued. “And everyone must memorize them.” Joan recited (背诵) these prepositions as easily as saying the days of the week. She said you would find grammar easy when you memorized them. I tried my best and finally succeeded. Then, grammar became easier, just as Joan had promised.
In addition to singing the prepositions, she shared other useful language points. I still remembered her catchy phrase: “Good better best, never let it rest, until your good is better, and your better is best.”
After high school, I went to college, majoring (主修) in—my parents couldn’t believe it—English! In a creative writing class in my junior year, I recited the prepositions for my professor and classmates. I explained how my eighth grade teacher, Joan, had often said that a strategically placed prepositional phrase could add depth and variety to sentences. Impressed, my professor asked for a copy of Joan’s list and other tricks of the trade that I remembered.
After graduating from college, I landed a job teaching eighth grade English. I tried best the way Joan had to make grammar easy. I started the unit with prepositions coming first. Memorization was the important part. Before long, the students were singing the prepositions to their favorite tunes. One year, since it was near Christmas, we all sang the prepositions to “Jingle Bells”.
I also required students to. recite the prepositions in ten seconds or less. If you thought that was impossible, then you didn’t know eighth graders. They welcomed any trouble, and with no homework as a motivator, they got right down to business. I pulled out a stopwatch and timed the students daily to judge their progress; 21, 16, 12, then bingo, 10 seconds!
I taught eighth grade English for thirty-eight years. Looking back, teaching English was a tough but worthwhile job, and I loved it every day.
1. Why did Joan ask her students to memorize prepositions?| A．She wanted them to overcome their weak points. |
| B．She thought this benefits their grammar learning. |
| C．Memory exercises are a quick way to learn English. |
| D．Prepositions are a hot part to be examined in exams. |
| A．He introduced his former teacher to his classmates. |
| B．He showed everyone his ways of learning grammar |
| C．His professor was interested in Joan’s teaching methods. |
| D．His talent for being a teacher was recognized by his professor. |
| A．valued preposition memorization like Joan did |
| B．often asked Joan for advice about English teaching |
| C．created some ways of teaching suitable for students |
| D．got to understand the difficulty in teaching prepositions |
| A．They joined colorful after-class activities. |
| B．They tried their best to avoid their homework. |
| C．They sometimes failed to follow the author’s instructions. |
| D．They made gradual progress in remembering the prepositions. |
| A．He found his job full of challenges. | B．He was greatly influenced by Joan. |
| C．He was very popular among his students. | D．He devoted all his life to grammar teaching. |
2 . Clayton Ward's family owned a school bus company in Tennessee, and when he moved to Massachusetts, he followed in their footsteps and became a school bus driver. Ward attended college 10 years ago but dropped out after a few semesters(学期).
He didn't realize, at first, that the students he was transporting to and from school helped him rediscover his desire to go back to school and earn his college degree.
“I really enjoy working with students, and during the bus routes, we would chat about their classes. As a history lover, I would share lessons that I learned in school. Some of the students would tell me they wanted me to be their teacher. I think they only said that because I was a different person than their regular teachers, educating them in a different way to arouse their interest. But, however small that mention was from those kids, it gave me the motivation(动力) to complete a goal I had started years ago, ”said Ward.
He enrolled(登记入学) at MassBay Community College in May 2019, working full-time driving the school bus while attending classes. “I would drive my route in the morning and afternoon, take a class in between shifts and take night classes and classes online to complete my degree requirements, ” Ward said. “Many years ago, I heard a quote from my former middle and high school band teacher, which has helped me get to where I am now. My teacher said, ‘Discipline is not doing what you are supposed to be doing when everyone is watching. Discipline is doing what you are supposed to be doing when nobody is watching.’”
In just one year, Ward has completed his Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts and will transfer to Framingham State University to pursue his bachelor's degree in History. He will be recognized at MassBay's commencement ceremony(毕业典礼) for receiving the following awards: Highest Honors, the All- College Award for his 4.0 GPA, and for having the highest GPA in the Liberal Arts program.
1. What does the underlined word "their" in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．School bus companies. | B．Clayton Ward's family’s. |
| C．Massachusetts locals. | D．School bus drivers. |
| A．His family’s support. |
| B．His former high school teacher’s quotes. |
| C．A school bus driver's encouragement. |
| D．Some students' words. |
| A．He was a regular teacher. |
| B．He often talked with students about their classes. |
| C．He felt quite exhausted with his work. |
| D．He had little interest in history. |
| A．He spent all his spare time studying hard. |
| B．He attended full-time classes. |
| C．He gave up his job. |
| D．He asked his high school band teacher for help. |
| A．He failed in his history exams. |
| B．He was honored for his great achievements. |
| C．He got his bachelor's degree in just one year. |
| D．He graduated from college with an average GPA. |
3 . Japan said Tuesday that it would start pouring treated radioactive water(放射性废水) from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean within two years. Officials in Tokyo said the water would be filtered and diluted(稀释) to safe levels first, but most residents remain firmly opposed to the plan. Protesters gathered outside Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s residence in downtown Tokyo to criticize the government’s decision.
More than a million tons of radioactive water is currently being stored at the Fukushima power plant in a massive tank farm big enough to fill 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The wastewater comes from water pumped in to cool the plant’s damaged reactors(反应堆). The government says it has simply run out of room to store all the water. The plan to dump the water into the ocean first came to light in the autumn of last year, when Japanese news reported anonymous officials said the decision had been taken.
On Tuesday, Suga said that after years of study, his scientific advisors had concluded that ocean discharge was the most possible way to cope with the wastewater. But the decision to pour Fukushima wastewater into the ocean has drawn fire from neighboring Asian countries and local fishermen along Japan’s coast.
China called the decision “extremely irresponsible,” and South Korea summoned(召唤) the Japanese ambassador in Seoul over the matter. “They told us that they wouldn’t release the water into the sea without the support of fishermen,” Kanji Tachiya, who leads a local cooperative of fisheries in Fukushima, told national broadcaster NHK ahead of the announcement on Tuesday. “We can’t support this move to break that promise and release the water into the sea unilaterally(单方面地).”
The actual release of water from the Fukushima plant will take decades to complete. Critics have called on Japan’s government to at least ensure that independent monitoring is in place to check the level of radiation in the poured water is safe for the environment.
1. How do most of the local people react to the plan?| A．Indifferent. | B．Uncertain. | C．Supportive. | D．Disapproval. |
| A．The wastewater is being stored in 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. |
| B．It was last year that the plan was exposed to the public. |
| C．Ocean discharge is the only way the deal with the wastewater. |
| D．The plan has aroused anger in all the Asian countries. |
| A．The plan is to pull the whole world into the disaster. |
| B．It’s imperative that the plan should be carried out immediately. |
| C．It’s safe and easy to pour the wastewater into the ocean. |
| D．It’s unacceptable to pour the water into the ocean without fishermen’ permission. |
| A．geography textbook. | B．personal diary |
| C．news report | D．fiction book |
My mother made me what I am. She gave me the greatest gift a mother can give — the desire to excel (超越). She taught me to read before I was four. She also encouraged me to write. When I was 10, I wrote a story and she sent it to a children’s magazine. They accepted it and paid me some money. So I started earning money by writing at a young age.
I also learned a lot from my father. He’d say, “Stand tall, be independent and keep your eyes open.” For what, I don’t know! He was quite good at telling stories, and I think I inherited my gift for storytelling from him. But he could be pretty strict. If I went out with a boy, he had to pick me up from home so my father could question him inside out.
My father was 6 feet tall and good-looking, with great charm. He lost a leg m the war while serving in the Royal Navy, but never let it hold him back. When he was in hospital, ready to have his leg amputated, he said, not depressed, “Well, half a loaf is better than none.” After his death, I returned his artificial leg to the hospital, but walked away in tears. It felt as if I was giving part of him away.
My parents had a son, Vivian, who died before I was born, so my mother put all her love into me. She also gave me an. education I couldn’t get at school. She took me to the pictures every week, to the theatre to see the Russian ballet whenever it came to Leeds, where we lived.
At 20, I moved to London to become fashion editor of Woman’s Own and later a columnist on the London Evening News. The day I left home, my mother wrote in her diary that all the sunshine had gone out of her life when her daughter left home.
根据短文内容完成下列小题。
1. Why does the author mention her parents?(no more than 10 words)
2. What is the author good at according to the second paragraph?(no more than 5 words)
3. What does the underlined word “amputated” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?(no more than 5 words)
4. What was the author’s childhood like according to the last two paragraphs?(no more than 10 words)
5. What can you learn from the author’s father?(no more than 25 words)
Last year I had a wonderful experience. I went on a student exchange program to Japan. It was an exciting time of my life and I learned many things about the school system in Japan. I was in Grade 11, which is second year of high school in Japan, but I was younger than most of my classmates. That’s because Japanese children enter first year of elementary school in April following their sixth birthday. I started school when I was still five years old.
In Japan, children attend elementary school for six years, where they study Japanese, arithmetic, science, social studies, music, crafts, physical education, and home economics (simple cooking and sewing skills). During their three years in middle school, English is added to this list. Most schools have access to computers and the Internet.
The classes in my school seemed rather big to me, around 30 students in a typical high school class. We ate lunch in the classroom, instead of a cafeteria and enjoyed a healthy, nutritious meal prepared by the school or by a local “school lunch center” instead of eating the same, dry sandwiches every day. I really like the Japanese interpretation of school lunches. I also enjoyed the field trips and activities. At Japanese schools, there are many school events during the year, such as field day when students compete in tug-of-war, field trips, and arts and cultural festivals.
1. Why did the writer go to Japan last year? (no more than 8 words)2. Please list at least two subjects Japanese students learn at elementary school.(no more than 5 words)
3. When do Japanese students start to learn English ? (no more than 8 words)
4. What is the Japanese interpretation of school lunches in the writer’s eyes?(no more than 15 words)
5. Which of the two school systems in the passage do you prefer? Please explain why. (no more than 20 words)
After her father caught the coronavirus (新冠病毒), Sumoma Khnom managed to find a bed for him at Dhaka Medial College Hospital. The hospital was already crowded with too many patients. This was not her only problem. Her family did not have enough money to buy food. And she was extremely tired. But then, some comfort came.
Volunteers working for the Bidyanondo Foundation, social organization, brought her family a gift basket. It was filled with fruit —oranges, apples, and lemons —as well as other food. There was also a get-well card for her father. It read,"We are here to stand by you."
The Bidyanondo Foundation, established in 2013, is known for its food assistance (援助) programs for street children and the poor. Now it is also famed for building awareness (意识) of COVID-19 in the community. Its name, Bidyanondo, means"learn for fun".
Since June 1, the group has given out about 1.400 gift baskets In March. the Dhaka Tribune reported that the foundation was giving out protective things such as face masks (口罩) and hand cleaner. Yeasin said that the first responsibility of the foundation is to support patients and build awareness. However, it does not want doctors and other health workers to be forgotten "Many health workers are saying outside home, away from their families to provide health care,"he said"We wanted to thank them. They also need mental(精神上的) support.
So, the foundation has sent health care workers thank you cards. One reads, “We become brave to do more (for people) seeing your effort, we know you will continue [to] fight to save our lives if we become ill tomorrow. ” Many support Biyanondo’s efforts. Sumona Khanom said she was thankful that the foundation has come forward to help her father "I hope, "she said, "They would offer to help all other fathers."
1. Why did Sumona Khanom have difficulty in finding a bed for her father?(no more than 10 words)2. What did the Bidyanondo Foundation bring to Sumona Khanom's family?(no more than 10 words)
3. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 3 probably mean? (1 word)
4. Whom may Bidyanondo Foundation serve for? (no more than 10 words)
5. If there is a similar foundation in your school, will you take part in it as a volunteer? And why? ( no more than 25 words)
7 . High school often serves to prepare students for a college education, or it might be the last stop on the educational journey for some people. No matter which path one may select, high school life offers students the opportunities to achieve a great deal of learning, get to know themselves, or simply have fun.
In America, high school is a special experience with a culture of its own. Public high schools exist in all communities. Every community in the United States has a public school system, teaching children at primary and secondary levels. These schools are free and supported mainly by taxes, with additional aid from states and governments. Private high schools are a choice for parents who want to give their child a better education. They are often very expensive. Private schools are usually famous for their academic reputation (学术声望). This academic reputation is related to college preparation.
In high school, students study various academic subjects such as English, literature, foreign languages, maths, science, history, geography and so on. Some large high schools have classes that teach job-related subjects like auto mechanics, cooking and others, in order to provide students with skills needed for certain jobs. High school might also offer “honours classes” for particularly smart and sharp students.
Some states give basic skills exams during the last year of the high school process to make sure that certain academic standards are met, but, again, high school curricula (课程) vary greatly among communities.
High school sports, particularly basketball and football, are often organised. Inter-city and cross-town competitions are often held. These competitions are popular, especially in communities that do not have their own professional sports teams. Nearly all high school teams have nicknames: the Knights and the Tigers being some famous examples.
1. Which of the following is not the supporting source of public school?| A．Taxes. | B．States. |
| C．Community. | D．Governments. |
| A．Private schools are a better choice for parents than public schools. |
| B．All private high schools in the United States are very expensive. |
| C．Private schools can usually provide better college preparation. |
| D．There is a private school system in every community. |
| A．Some schools have special classes for smart students. |
| B．Some states set academic standards in the first year. |
| C．Sports competitions are only in the city or town. |
| D．All communities have their own professional sports teams. |
| A．Life in the USA |
| B．Education in the USA |
| C．Public Schools and Private Schools in the USA |
| D．High Schools in the USA |
8 . Each year, backed up by a growing anti-consumerist movement, people are using the holiday season to call on us all to shop less.
Driven by concerns about resource exhaustion, over recent years environmentalists have increasingly turned their sights on our “consumer culture”. Groups such as The Story of Stuff and Buy Nothing New Day are growing as a movement that increasingly blames all our ills on our desire to shop.
We clearly have a growing resource problem. The produces we make, buy, and use are often linked to the destruction of our waterways, biodiversity, climate and the land on which millions of people live. But to blame these issues on Christmas shoppers is misguided, and puts us in the old trap of blaming individuals for what is a systematic problem.
While we complain about environmental destruction over Christmas, environmentalists often forget what the holiday season actually means for many people. For most, Christmas isn’t an add-on to an already heavy shopping year. In fact, it is likely the only time of year many have the opportunity to spend on friends and family, or even just to buy the necessities needed for modern life.
This is particularly, true for Boxing Day, often the target of the strongest derision(嘲弄) by anti-consumerists. While we may laugh at the queues in front of the shops, for many, those sales provide the one chance to buy items they’ve needed all year. As Leigh Phillips argues, “this is one of the few times of the year that people can even hope to afford such ‘luxuries’, the Christmas presents their kids are asking for, or just an appliance that works.”
Indeed, the richest 7% of people are responsible for 50% of greenhouse gas emissions. This becomes particularly harmful when you take into account that those shopping on Boxing Day are only a small part of our consumption “problem” anyway. Why are environmentalists attacking these individuals, while ignoring such people as Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who has his own￡1.5bn yacht with a missile defence system?
Anyway, anti-consumerism has become a movement of wealthy people talking down to the working class about their life choices, while ignoring the real cause of our environmental problems. It is no wonder one is changing their behaviours—or that environmental destruction continues without any reduction in intensity.
1. It is indicated in the 1st paragraph that during the holiday season, many consumers .| A．ignore resource problems |
| B．are fascinated with presents |
| C．are encouraged to spend less |
| D．show great interest in the movement. |
| A．has targeted the wrong persons |
| B．has achieved its intended purposes |
| C．has taken environment-friendly measures |
| D．has benefited both consumers and producers |
| A．madness about life choices |
| B．discontent with rich lifestyle |
| C．ignorance about the real cause |
| D．disrespect for holiday shoppers |
| A．anything less than a responsibility | B．nothing more than a bias |
| C．indicative of environmental awareness | D．unacceptable to ordinary people |
9 . Many years ago, my mother read from the book Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey to me. I remember as if it were yesterday, hearing her voice at my side on a cold wintry night. My mother’s voice changed my world.
Long before I could read on my own, she shared with me the strength and beauty of McCloskey’s language a story of a little girl and her mother out in nature, co-existing with a mother bear and her own baby. The power of the story, of language and of my mother all came together. And it happened many times after that, over and over. The read aloud made me a reader.
Years later, I was reading aloud a picture book to a small child in a classroom. His life, so far, had not been easy. His childhood was troubled by poverty and loneliness. In that moment, in the joy of the read aloud, he had an idea that started something big.
What he said was this: “Mrs. Allyn, let’s make sure everyone knows how good this feels. Let’s have a holiday for the read aloud” Therefore, my organization, LitWorld, created a grassroots movement World Read Aloud Day in 2010 to honor this young boy’s wish for everyone to be able to have a read aloud every day.
Since the day he shared that good idea with us, World Read Aloud Day has become a worldwide event reaching over one million people in more than 65 countries around the world. This year we are over 600 cities strong, a number that is growing every day.
Children who grow up as readers become engaged citizens of the global world, and every child deserves the right to read. When I say that reading aloud will change the world, I know it sounds simple. But one of the many great things about giving kids access to the power of stories and sharing them together is that it is simple. It is also cheap and easily done. And the impact is huge.
1. How did the author’s parent change her life?| A．By reading aloud to her. |
| B．By listening to her reading. |
| C．By buying many books for her. |
| D．By encouraging her to read aloud. |
| A．mother | B．teacher |
| C．best friend | D．favorite writer |
| A．To start a holiday. | B．To reduce poverty. |
| C．To found LitWorld. | D．To overcome loneliness. |
| A．Its origin. | B．Its future. |
| C．Its purpose. | D．Its development. |
| A．Sticking to reading isn’t easy. |
| B．Reading gives a high rate of return. |
| C．Reading aloud isn’t actually simple. |
| D．Kids should try to change the world. |
10 . A self-service flower shop operated by a college student in Beijing is attracting many young customers,Chinese media reported.
Different from traditional shops in the capital, the young storekeeper surnamed Wang opened the first self-service flower shop where people can select flowers and pay via mobile payment systems including WeChat and Alipay.
Born after 1995 and a lover of fiction,the young man said he began the startup because it will not take up his time."People go to flower shops at any time,"he said."I cannot focus on reading when I have to serve customers," So Wang opened the self-service flower shop after doing market research.
Most young customers like shopping in a free environment,and hate promotion from clerks,he explained,adding that customers can have their questions answered about categories and names of flowers through mobile apps.
Even though there is no shopkeeper the operation has attracted many young customers and proved to be a success,at least for now.
Although he does not sell flowers in the shop in person,Wang said he would call at it at odd intervals every day.
"It is a business with small investment,and it can not cause a huge loss if a burglary（偷盗）occurs,"he said,adding that he trusts people.
1. How do people pay for flowers? (no more than 8 words)2. Why did Wang open the self-service flower shop? (no more than 20 words)
3. What should customers do if they have their questions about flowers? (no more than 10 words)
4. What does the underlined phrase "at odd intervals" most probably mean? (no more than 4 words)
5. What do you think of the self-service flower shop?Tell your reasons. (no more than 25 words)
