1 . It is October again. It has been a year since my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer; a year since she started her good, brave fight. It has been a year marked with so many milestones, so many shared smiles and secret fears.
Usually, children, with eyes that see all and minds that are still free to wonder, are extraordinarily accepting the changes in routine, the shift in seasons. This week, however, when I took my two younger boys with me for a visit to Mom’s without telling her in advance, Sean ran into her bedroom to greet her, then quickly returned to the living room to talk to me. “Mom,” my four-year-old whispered, careful not to be overheard or offending, “Grandma has no hair.”
Mom came through her surgery that removed the tumor (肿瘤) in her lung with faith and grace. She also came through thin and tired. And the side effect was total hair loss. It should grow back eventually, but my mother decided to have a wig (假发) to cover her head. She wears it mostly for the comfort of others. When she is alone, she usually leaves her head uncovered, finding the wig uncomfortable when unnecessary.
“Grandma has no hair,” Sean said, because we had caught her by surprise.
“I know, Sean. Isn’t it funny?” I asked him as my mom joined us in the living room. We explained to him that Grandma had to take medicine that made her hair go away, but it would come back.
“Would you like to touch my head, Sean?” my mother asked as my son stared at her, his blue eyes filled with questions and curiosity. It is surprising to see your mother—or anyone you love—without hair, but surprisingly it’s something that you can get used to quickly. We are, after all, not really these bodies—these are just the shells that transport who we are, and no matter what the physical changes, those connected by love seem to be able to recognize their own.
1. What has happened to Grandma over the year?A.She has refused others’ visits. | B.She has pulled through the cancer. |
C.She has lost her fight with the tumor. | D.She has recovered without side effects. |
A.Because he found Grandma tired and thin. |
B.Because just overheard Grandma’s cancer. |
C.Because he couldn’t accept Grandma’s appearance. |
D.Because he had never seen Grandma hairless before. |
A.Loving and optimistic. | B.Loyal and honest. |
C.Humble and committed. | D.Generous and humorous. |
A.Every cloud has a silver lining. | B.Never judge a book by its cover. |
C.Love goes beyond physical changes. | D.What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. |
Turtles Crossing
One spring afternoon, Alex rode his bike along the country road leading to his house. As he rounded a bend, a sign came into his view—Johnson’s pond. His dad took him canoeing (皮划艇) there sometimes. Alex loved it. Now it was spring time and the pond was always so alive. There, he could find frogs croaking, dragonflies hunting and turtles basking (晒太阳) on sunny rocks.
Alex was curious about the turtles he saw. Days earlier, he had gone to the library to check out books on turtles. Alex learned that turtles don’t have warm blood like people do. That’s why they have to sit in the sun to warm themselves. He also learned that in spring turtles lay eggs on the land away from the water.
Now it looked like tomorrow might be another sunny day. He decided he would ask Dad if they could go canoeing and look for turtles again. Just then Alex saw something in the road up ahead. It looked like a big gray rock. But it was a funny place for a rock to be. As Alex watched, the rock started to move. When he rode his bike up to get a closer look, he saw that it wasn’t a rock at all. It was a large turtle creeping (爬) its way across the road. It had a bony, beak-shaped mouth and a long, jagged tail. Alex suddenly realized what she was going to do.
He also knew not to get too close. He had read that a turtle has a powerful bite even though it doesn’t have teeth. It could even bite off someone’s finger. He stood at a distance and watched.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a car approaching. The turtle was still only halfway across the road. Alex knew he couldn’t pick it up to move it safely to the grass. What could he do? Thinking fast, he started jumping up and down and waving both hands wildly. ”Stop! Stop!“ he cried. The car slowed to a stop, and the driver stuck her head out of the window. It was his neighbor, Mrs. Ramos.
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。
”Are you alright, Alex?“ asked Mrs. Ramos.
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Suddenly Alex got an idea how to protect them from car danger.
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3 . 阅读下面短文,在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
The Yellow Crane Tower is one of the Four Great Towers of China.
4 . Do I think the sky is falling? Sort of.
My husband and I were recently in Egypt, where the temperature was a bit warm for my tiny princess self. So, we left Egypt. Back home, my dearest friends struggled with health stuff, with family craziness...
The game of life is hard, and a lot of us are playing hurt.
I ache for the world but naturally I’m mostly watching the Me Movie, where balance and strength are beginning to fail. What can we do as the creaking elevator of age slowly arrive? The main solution is to get outside every day, ideally with friends. Old friends — even thoughts of them — are my comfort.
Recently I was walking along a beach with Neshama. We go back 50 years. She is 84, short and strong. Every so often, she bent down somewhat tentatively (踌躇地) and picked up small items into a small cloth bag.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m picking up micro litter. I try to help where I can.”
I reminded her of an old story. A great warhorse comes upon a tiny sparrow (麻雀) lying on its back with its feet in the air, eyes tightly shut with effort. The horse asks it what it’s doing.
“I’m trying to help hold back the darkness.”
The horse laughs loudly, “That is so funny. What do you weigh?”
And the sparrow replies, “One does what one can.”
This is what older age means. We do what we can.
We continued our walk. Neshama bent tentatively to pick up bits of litter and started to slip, but I caught her and we laughed. We are so physically vulnerable in older age, but friendship makes it all a rowing machine for the soul. We can take it, as long as we feel and give love, and laugh gently at ourselves as we fall apart. We know by a certain age the great lie in our life — if you do or achieve this or that, you will be happy and rich. No. Love and service make us rich.
1. What does the author say about her present life?A.She leads a balanced life. | B.She enjoys meeting old friends. |
C.She is really into movies. | D.She struggles with family crises. |
A.To confirm Neshama’s fear. | B.To offer her comfort. |
C.To change Neshama’s mind. | D.To show her approval. |
A.Physical weakness. | B.The great lie. |
C.The rowing machine. | D.The broken soul. |
A.Achieving important life goals. | B.Enjoying life as you can. |
C.Living a life of love and service. | D.Loving what is being done. |
5 . My son, Andrew, is nonspeaking autistict (孤独症的) .
For many years, we have
One Saturday morning on his 15th birthday, we went to a shoe shop to get him a pair of sandals.
We
As we headed toward the
Instead of having Andrew point to the “thank you” symbol on the picture chart, this time, I paused, and asked Andrew how he’d like to
A.taken up | B.worked out | C.carried around | D.put away |
A.brilliant | B.shining | C.plain | D.awful |
A.needs and wants | B.joys and sorrows | C.trials and errors | D.ups and downs |
A.inspiring | B.convenient | C.fashionable | D.comfortable |
A.expected | B.proved | C.discovered | D.reminded |
A.cry out | B.make out | C.speak out | D.spell out |
A.stuck | B.replaced | C.rebuilt | D.painted |
A.talent | B.effort | C.wisdom | D.creativity |
A.missed | B.canceled | C.timed | D.enjoyed |
A.tough | B.wonderful | C.tiring | D.busy |
A.protest | B.agreement | C.reaction | D.delight |
A.match | B.gift | C.fit | D.dream |
A.fixed | B.boxed | C.picked | D.mixed |
A.stair | B.window | C.counter | D.door |
A.respond | B.speak | C.praise | D.repay |
6 . The rangoli (印度传统地画艺术) was a giant good-luck charm. Grandma used to make one for the start of the new year. First, she would draw on the floor with chalk. Then, she would fill the drawing with uncooked
This year, Manju was old enough to help. He
A
“I’ll surprise Grandma!” He decided. He
Manju rose to his feet and pushed the rice back. But the colors were
Grandma lit candles around the rangoli. In the flickering light, the peacock seemed
A.burst | B.marked | C.colored | D.carried |
A.rolled | B.brought | C.slid | D.sank |
A.pale | B.wrong | C.fresh | D.bright |
A.viewpoint | B.outline | C.proposal | D.case |
A.slowly | B.fluently | C.passively | D.instantly |
A.imagined | B.spotted | C.witnessed | D.missed |
A.cone | B.rice | C.chalk | D.gap |
A.extended | B.expanded | C.stretched | D.spread |
A.swell | B.lift | C.shake | D.rest |
A.somewhere | B.everywhere | C.anywhere | D.nowhere |
A.mixed | B.removed | C.classified | D.displayed |
A.looked into | B.looked through | C.looked out | D.looked down |
A.problem | B.puzzle | C.selection | D.collection |
A.analyzing | B.searching | C.sorting | D.checking |
A.lovely | B.living | C.live | D.alive |
ALICE IN WONDERLAND is my favorite story of all time. And acting is my number one passion. So when my sixth-grade teacher announced during my first week at Newland Elementary that we’d be performing it for the school play, I practically screamed out loud with excitement. I’d always wanted to play the role of Alice!
Luckily, I stopped the scream before it really escaped. In Poulsbo, I’d starred in every play from third grade on. I played my first role as Tinkerbell in Peter Pan. And after that, backflips (后空翻) just couldn’t compare. All my friends were in the plays, too, and we’d had so much fun together! And I just knew that if I could star as Alice, life at Newland Elementary would be a lot more fun.
Mrs. Peason, our teacher, announced, “The role of Alice goes to Taylor! ” My head buzzed. My stomach erupted like a volcano. But I clapped along with everyone else and put a fake smile on my face. It took Mrs. Pearson forever to get to my name. When she finally did, she read, “Hazel, Tyler, and Ella-hedgehogs (刺猬)!” She announced this as if we’d just won a million dollars. But the hedgehogs had no lines. Mrs. Pearson looked at us expectantly. I cast an eye on the other two. Ella looked as if she were about to cry. Tyler looked as if he’d just eaten a piece of bad cheese.
The next day we had our first rehearsal. “I really wanted to be Alice,” I said, knowing that they were both wonderful dancers and wanted to do something different instead of being a hedgehog. “Since you just moved here, you probably didn’t know that Taylor has gotten all the starring roles since kindergarten. The rest of us just have to take what’s left.” Ella said. “Oh,” I said, startled. In Poulsbo, I’d been the one who’d gotten every starring role. I’d never even wondered if maybe the other kids had felt bad about that.
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。
Para. 1: Suddenly I had an idea.
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Para. 2: Everyone erupted into applause.
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8 . My fiancé (未婚夫) and I were excited about shopping for our first home. But our funds were
One agent recommended a house in particular. Although her description sounded wonderful, the price was
We finally did and it was
Days later, we made a(n)
The next day, we got a
“Sold!” said the owner. Then he explained: He’d seen us sitting by the lake all those times; he knew how much we loved the place and that we’d
That’s how we found our home and how I learned that when people are
A.needed | B.limited | C.enough | D.large |
A.below | B.within | C.beyond | D.between |
A.at least | B.at most | C.at times | D.at hand |
A.relief | B.concern | C.love | D.curiosity |
A.pride | B.happiness | C.challenge | D.desire |
A.effort | B.offer | C.promise | D.profit |
A.come across | B.look after | C.depend on | D.laugh at |
A.worse | B.better | C.less | D.higher |
A.relaxing | B.disappointing | C.pleasant | D.regular |
A.agents | B.buyers | C.managers | D.owners |
A.already | B.still | C.generally | D.ever |
A.so | B.or | C.for | D.but |
A.check | B.analyze | C.appreciate | D.ignore |
A.increase | B.difference | C.interest | D.average |
A.kind | B.polite | C.smart | D.energetic |
For years, my wife Teresa taught physical education at the elementary school level. Travelling on a regular schedule to the six schools in her district, she had a chance to get to know most of the kids in the area and see them at their best and their worst.
One day, in her class, Teresa noticed a third-grade girl, Meagan, who was short and grossly overweight, with a closed and hopeless look on her face. Meagan always sat alone in class, played alone at break, and ate alone from a recycled paper sack at lunch. The teachers and staff were kind to Meagan, but the students were not.
The stories made your shoulders drop. Teresa heard that when the playground supervisors (管理员) turned their backs, kids would run up to Meagan, calling her “Meagan the Fat Pig.” They did far worse than isolate (孤立) her; they filled her school days and walks home with physical and emotional torment (折磨). Also, Meagan’s single mother, a hard-working woman, was trying her best to make ends meet but she had never made it before.
Meagan’s situation disturbed my wife deeply. After talking with the principle and other teachers, Teresa came up with an idea. She knew from talking to Meagan that the child had never had a pet. Teresa was sure a pet would be the perfect way to inject some high-powered love and acceptance into Meagan’s life.
So one Saturday afternoon, Meagan was invited to Teresa’s office. When the door buzzer sounded, a dog engaged in a predictable and vigorous welcome. Getting down on one knee, Teresa introduced herself to Meagan. She told Meagan her thought that she could take away a puppy if she liked. Like any creature that has been cared about, Meagan gleamed in her eyes and playfully lifted the puppy almost off the ground. That day Meagan left the office with the puppy.
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: Now she had a living, breathing friend who wanted to play with her.
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Paragraph 2: Ten years later, Teresa received an invitation to the high school graduation ceremony from Meagan, where Meagan made a speech.
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10 . I started to worry when the golf car taking me, Steve, and our suitcases stopped in the middle of the Maine forest. A yurt (蒙古包) is a tent tall enough to stand in and wide enough to fit a big family. But I didn’t see it anywhere.
“You hike from here,” said the driver, pointing down a weedy (杂草丛生的) path. The woods were darkening, and Steve encouraged me to pick up the pace. My summer sandals (凉鞋) slipped on the wet leaves. Steve and I spent a good hour until we spotted the light of the yurt.
Steve skillfully lit a fire. We ate some sandwiches, had a few beers, and settled in for a good night’s sleep. But I couldn’t relax. I shook Steve awake. “The door to the yurt doesn’t lock,” I said. “What if a bear wanders into the camp?”
“Don’t worry. Moose (驼鹿) are a bigger problem here than bears,” he said.
“Well, what if someone decides to rob us? Or what if one of the locals wants to teach us a lesson?” “OK,” Steve said with a heavy sigh. He forcefully placed a chair under the door handle. “There, additional protection.” He smiled. “And even if someone gets through the door, you’ll have time to grab that book and use it as a weapon.” I laughed. Sleep moved in. We could enjoy our weekend.
When we “checked out” three mornings later. I was the first one up. That’s when I realized that the door opened ... out. The chair had been serving no purpose other than to keep me quiet.
“So,” I said, as we walked heavily back to meet the golf car. “How else have you been ‘handling’ me this weekend?”
He smiled. “Well. I decided not to tell Von about the snake that lived in the firewood.”
1. What can be learned from the first two paragraphs?A.I was quite looking forward to the trip. | B.It was convenient to get to the yurt. |
C.I felt nervous and anxious about the trip. | D.The golf car sent us directly to the yurt. |
A.To make it safer to sleep inside. | B.To stop me from worrying. |
C.To protect them from locals. | D.To have fun. |
A.He was worried about moose and bears. |
B.He might have some experience in sleeping in a yurt. |
C.He put the snake in the firewood. |
D.He had learned a lesson from the locals. |
A.A Meaningful Trip to Yurt | B.The Importance of Getting Close to Nature |
C.More to Know about Yurt | D.The Time I Survived a Yurt |