It was a dark and stormy night. The ferocious wind shook the windows wildly, as though someone outside were beating on the glass. It was also New Year’s Eve. We were having our annual party and had a house full of people just starting to celebrate.
Suddenly, we heard loud explosions. Looking outside and up into the hills, we saw sparks(火花) flying from electrical transformers(变压器). One area after another went dark up in those hills. Then there was the loudest explosion of them all and our house went dark too. I tried to find every candle we had and lit them. The candles made everything look lovely. But we had problems. We had fifteen people standing around and we still had to cook dinner. How would we do that without electricity?
The barbecue! Why not cook on the barbecue? We men went outside, some holding flashlights and others cooking. We did a wonderful job. The women stayed inside and got the salads ready. Everything was delicious. There were still a few hours to go before the beginning of the new year, so we all sat around the dining room table and sang up until a few minutes before midnight. We couldn’t watch the ball drop in Times Square on television but that wouldn’t stop us from celebrating. I stood on a chair and, with the help of someone’s watch to tell us the time, we all counted down and I dropped a tennis ball! We all screamed Happy New Year. We didn’t need electricity for that!
Nowadays, we still get together with the same group to celebrate the New Year and we still talk about that special night. I don’t think we have ever laughed so much as we did on that New Year’s Eve.
1. What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph 1? (1 word)2. What made dinner preparation difficult according to Paragraph 2? (no more than 6 words)
3. How did the people celebrate on New Year’s Eve according to the passage? (no more than 10 words)
4. How does the author feel about that particular New Year’s Eve? (no more than 8 words)
5. What do you think is the most necessary quality when dealing with an unexpected difficult situation? Please explain why. (no more than 25words)
2 . For most people, having things stolen feels like an offence. Robbie Pruitt admitted that he got
For Pruitt, a keen bicyclist, the first thing to do was
With that thought in mind, Pruitt
The day the post went live, Pruitt received thirty
Pruitt tries to give his donations to families that are
In addition to
"It's a really great
A.amazed | B.mad | C.curious | D.frightened |
A.emotions | B.career | C.opinions | D.route |
A.ever | B.together | C.instead | D.yet |
A.ride | B.lock | C.repair | D.replace |
A.lack | B.variety | C.increase | D.quality |
A.instruction | B.qualification | C.transportation | D.permission |
A.came up with | B.stuck to | C.gave up | D.broke away from |
A.remembered | B.refused | C.hesitated | D.offered |
A.by accident | B.in advance | C.for free | D.on credit |
A.profit | B.budget | C.courage | D.excuse |
A.shared | B.used | C.expensive | D.modern |
A.enquiries | B.advertisements | C.notices | D.announcements |
A.exported | B.sold | C.lent | D.returned |
A.hardly | B.slightly | C.truly | D.instantly |
A.Without | B.Beyond | C.Upon | D.Among |
A.practical | B.commercial | C.mathematical | D.social |
A.Otherwise | B.However | C.Somehow | D.Meanwhile |
A.promise | B.celebration | C.comfort | D.experience |
A.competition | B.service | C.ceremony | D.suggestion |
A.compromise | B.impression | C.impact | D.progress |
3 . Last year I decided to do some volunteer work. I began to
I was sent to the Coronado National Forest for my first 8-day
My job was to
Three days later, a beautiful stairway came into being. The
But on the last night we were
A.calculate | B.negotiate | C.advertise | D.research |
A.imagined | B.introduced | C.enjoyed | D.found |
A.annoyed | B.surprised | C.scared | D.excited |
A.arriving | B.sleeping | C.thinking | D.walking |
A.confident | B.friendly | C.energetic | D.curious |
A.funny | B.good | C.lucky | D.easy |
A.tour | B.project | C.campaign | D.course |
A.drop | B.make | C.carry | D.buy |
A.nice | B.safe | C.long | D.quick |
A.build | B.test | C.clean | D.guard |
A.helped | B.ended | C.allowed | D.meant |
A.hunted | B.trained | C.seen | D.fed |
A.satisfaction | B.ambition | C.expectation | D.intention |
A.work | B.memory | C.record | D.story |
A.left | B.caught | C.attacked | D.separated |
A.boiling | B.average | C.normal | D.freezing |
A.tidy | B.dry | C.new | D.soft |
A.By the way | B.Regardless of that | C.Needless to say | D.In either case |
A.survived | B.resisted | C.escaped | D.recovered |
A.smarter | B.stronger | C.happier | D.busier |
4 . About five weeks ago, I noticed the skin of our pet lizard was growing dusty. It worried me. I reported the strange surface on the skin of the lizard to my husband and children the next morning. Seconds later, our lizard emerged from its tank with its old skin flowing behind it.
I didn't think about it much until a morning last week when I knocked my favorite teapot off the table. It burst into hundreds of pieces. As I swept up the mess, I wondered why we had been breaking so many things over the months.
The destruction started three months ago. It was my husband's birthday. He had just lost his job. The uncertainty was starting to wear on us, so I wanted to do something special.
“Let's make a cake for Dad!” I cried.
My kids screamed with joy. We baked, iced and sprinkled for most of the day. Candles on the cake! Balloons on the walls! Flowers on the table!
Two hours before my husband came back home from another job interview, my daughter climbed up to grab a glass vase from a high shelf. It fell and crashed beside the cake. Tiny pieces of glass were everywhere. She sobbed loudly as I threw the cake away. My husband had banana pudding for his birthday.
Three days ago, the light in our living room suddenly went out. After several frustrating hours of unsuccessful attempts to fix it, my husband suggested watching the Michael Jordan documentary series The Last Dance.
The poignancy of Jordan retiring from his beloved basketball to play baseball and what had pushed him to make such a tough decision took me by surprise. As I watched him take off his basketball uniform and replace it with a baseball uniform, I saw him leaving behind the layer that no longer served him, just as our lizard had. Neither of them chose the moment that had transformed them. But they had to live with who they were after everything was different. Just like us. I realized that we have to learn to leave the past behind.
Humans do not shed skin as easily as other animals. The beginning of change is upsetting. The process is tiring. Damage changes us before we are ready. I see our lizard, raw and nearly new.
Jordan said that no matter how it ends, it starts with hope. With our tender, hopeful skin, that is where we begin.
1. What can we learn about the pet lizard from Paragraph 1?A.Its tank grew dirty. | B.Its old skin came off. |
C.It got a skin disease. | D.It went missing. |
A.The birthday cake was ruined. | B.The author made good puddings. |
C.Pudding was his favorite dessert. | D.They couldn't afford a birthday cake. |
A.To prove a theory. | B.To define a concept. |
C.To develop the theme. | D.To provide the background. |
A.letting go of the past | B.looking for a new job |
C.getting rid of a bad habit | D.giving up an opportunity |
A.Love of family helps us survive great hardships. | B.It's not the end of the world if we break things. |
C.We should move on no matter what happens. | D.Past experiences should be treasured. |
5 . Two weeks earlier, my son, Ben, had got in touch, he’d moved to England with his mum when he was three and it had been 13 years since I’d
I was
The instructors called for an ambulance.
I still can’t believe what a
A.also | B.often | C.even | D.last |
A.delight | B.relief | C.anger | D.worry |
A.scared | B.shocked | C.thrilled | D.ashamed |
A.talk | B.stay | C.meet | D.settle |
A.bathed | B.clean | C.deep | D.formed |
A.faster | B.closer | C.heavier | D.wiser |
A.trouble | B.advance | C.question | D.battle |
A.real | B.right | C.fair | D.fit |
A.stared | B.sank | C.dived | D.fell |
A.arguing | B.fighting | C.Shouting | D.shaking |
A.lead | B.persuade | C.carry | D.keep |
A.happened | B.occurred | C.applied | D.appealed |
A.sharp | B.pleasant | C.attractive | D.familiar |
A.agreed | B.hesitated | C.doubted | D.knew |
A.Fortunately | B.Frankly | C.Sadly | D.Suddenly |
A.return | B.relax | C.speak | D.leave |
A.joked | B.turned | C.listened | D.pointed |
A.created | B.honored | C.saved | D.guided |
A.coincidence | B.change | C.pity | D.pain |
A.on board | B.in time | C.for sure | D.on purpose |
6 . I was born legally blind. Of all the stories of my early childhood, the one about a
I was only two when the
Mom loves to use this story as an
We are almost certain to get
A.trip | B.race | C.tree | D.driver |
A.incident | B.change | C.illness | D.problem |
A.feared | B.refused | C.forgot | D.turned |
A.delay | B.absence | C.freedom | D.rest |
A.landed | B.slept | C.laughed | D.wept |
A.promised | B.encouraged | C.allowed | D.expected |
A.woke | B.picked | C.warmed | D.gave |
A.adds | B.replies | C.admits | D.supposes |
A.drove | B.lived | C.stood | D.zoomed |
A.crashed | B.broke | C.climbed | D.looked |
A.answer | B.example | C.excuse | D.order |
A.able | B.ashamed | C.afraid | D.anxious |
A.ask | B.share | C.learn | D.try |
A.honesty | B.toughness | C.kindness | D.curiosity |
A.regretted | B.reviewed | C.made | D.explained |
A.job | B.friend | C.fortune | D.house |
A.memories | B.efforts | C.research | D.experience |
A.mixed up | B.fed up | C.knocked down | D.settled down |
A.play | B.relax | C.dream | D.cry |
A.all at once | B.in the end | C.in either case | D.as a result |
7 . There are moments when strangers’ lives collide(碰撞)by accident, and even though they may never see each other again, they’ re changed forever. These can be moments when true character is
Not long ago, I was a(n)
Just then, a young boy, Mecca, arrived at the
Within seconds of the Snickers replacing the protein bar, the man regained
No one could have guessed that earlier that night, Mecca had just been through a
When we told Mecca's parents of his
As time goes on, I remain
A.created | B.revealed | C.introduced | D.preserved |
A.witness | B.visitor | C.match | D.exception |
A.caught | B.confirmed | C.gotten off | D.put off |
A.safely | B.accidentally | C.casually | D.immediately |
A.get across | B.figure out | C.take down | D.bring up |
A.medical | B.financial | C.educational | D.military |
A.recalled | B.determined | C.admitted | D.guaranteed |
A.Instead | B.Therefore | C.Otherwise | D.However |
A.worried | B.confused | C.embarrassed | D.annoyed |
A.station | B.destination | C.scene | D.department |
A.chaos | B.possession | C.habit | D.direction |
A.gave away | B.set aside | C.pulled out | D.kept off |
A.memory | B.appetite | C.independence | D.consciousness |
A.risked | B.saved | C.sacrificed | D.respected |
A.proper | B.tough | C.enjoyable | D.mysterious |
A.forcing | B.urging | C.reminding | D.permitting |
A.guilty | B.anxious | C.sensitive | D.doubtful |
A.modest | B.ambitious | C.heroic | D.confident |
A.flight | B.operation | C.performance | D.emergency |
A.relieved | B.puzzled | C.frustrated | D.inspire |
8 . In my early thirties, I decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa at 5, 895 meters above sea level.
After months of preparation, I started my great
The first day of the climb was
Day two was much steeper (陡峭的) and rockier. I really had to
Over the next five days, the climb got
Even today, when I find myself
A great attitude can bring joy to those around you, or even
A.performance | B.business | C.presentation | D.adventure |
A.questioned | B.congratulated | C.greeted | D.invited |
A.base | B.peak | C.forest | D.border |
A.covered | B.equipped | C.occupied | D.treated |
A.balanced | B.exposed | C.displayed | D.folded |
A.outside | B.beside | C.through | D.over |
A.thinner | B.softer | C.drier | D.sweeter |
A.looking after | B.pointing to | C.resting on | D.waiting for |
A.focus on | B.comment on | C.inquire into | D.break into |
A.locations | B.conditions | C.atmosphere | D.competition |
A.stop | B.hurry | C.relax | D.move |
A.ran | B.talked | C.smiled | D.rode |
A.slightly | B.increasingly | C.automatically | D.equally |
A.swing | B.circle | C.climb | D.last |
A.predictable | B.available | C.noticeable | D.affordable |
A.ambitious | B.modest | C.thankful | D.cheerful |
A.direction | B.advantage | C.attitude | D.relationship |
A.impression | B.platform | C.opportunity | D.strength |
A.cooperating | B.struggling | C.associating | D.communicating |
A.persuade | B.introduce | C.motivate | D.recommend |
I’ve always been creative since I was a little girl. My childhood was filled with arts, crafts (手工) and music, and every day was an exciting adventure of creation.
Somewhere along the way, however, I lost touch with my creative self. At 21, I landed a job at a big insurance company out of my business degree. I would go to the office, sit at my desk and repeat the same work five days a week 9 to 5. The days were long and tedious. Working this way for one year was painful enough, let alone a lifetime. Before long I decided to make a change.
One thing I had developed an interest in was sewing, so I took a sewing course at a community college. It was only a five-week course but it awakened my interest and got my confidence up.
As I dreamt bigger, I began looking into college courses for Fashion Design and three months later I signed up for a part-time design course. I attended classes two nights a week. Although exhausting, it gave me energy, enthusiasm and happiness.
As it became clearer that fashion was what I wanted to do full time, the reality of my day-to-day work at the insurance company became harder. I felt bored. No energy, no motivation and zero fulfilment (满足感).
I knew I needed to make a bigger change. After struggling for quite a while, I made a difficult decision—leaving my job and studying my design course full time. Two years later I got my diploma.
The last few years have been exciting because I’ve been following my heart to do what I love. Today I am living a creative life as the designer of my own fashion brand.
Sometimes it’s hard to make a change, but I’m so glad I set the wheels of change in motion with that very small first step because it has led me to where I am today.
1. What was the author interested in when she was a little girl? (no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean? (1 word)
3. How did the author feel when she was taking the part-time design course? (no more than 10 words)
4. What did the author do to get back to her creative life? Give two of the facts. (no more than 15 words)
5. Do you consider the author as your role model? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)
10 . Regardless of the weather or the distance, Paul Wilson will make sure low-income students in his neighbourhood arrive at their college classes on time.
A retired engineer, 76-year-old Wilson has been
Tina Stern
Wilson first worked as a driver through a student-support programme of the non-profit organisation. On Point for College. Although the
For many students, Wilson’s help is not only appreciated, it’s also entirely
A.linking | B.sending | C.offering | D.distributing |
A.donating | B.lending | C.delivering | D.volunteering |
A.paved | B.covered | C.measured | D.wandered |
A.arguments | B.interviews | C.negotiations | D.conversations |
A.met | B.driven | C.addressed | D.greeted |
A.even | B.ever | C.once | D.already |
A.earned | B.received | C.assessed | D.demanded |
A.transportation | B.style | C.time | D.communication |
A.forced | B.awkward | C.ridiculous | D.suspicious |
A.selects | B.recites | C.guesses | D.remembers |
A.act on | B.settle on | C.check on | D.agree on |
A.club | B.league | C.college | D.programme |
A.far | B.around | C.beyond | D.forwards |
A.assist | B.watch | C.urge | D.warn |
A.expects | B.attempts | C.manages | D.hesitates |
A.extra | B.unusual | C.necessary | D.adequate |
A.share | B.fuel | C.repair | D.exchange |
A.required | B.allowed | C.reminded | D.convinced |
A.experience | B.arrangement | C.appreciation | D.employment |
A.effort | B.ambition | C.privilege | D.convenience |