My mother believed in using things up. Last year, our cornfield had a bad harvest because birds feasted on the crops. It was probably then that Mom’s frugality(节俭)became even more extraordinary. She began keeping everything that seemed useless in the attic(阁楼)—worn-out clothes, old sheets, broken umbrellas, and some other old items. Mom’s favorite saying was “waste not, want not”(俭以防匮). My brother Josh and I weren’t sure what that meant until the “Affair of the Scarecrow(稻草人)”, which, as it later became known, left a lasting impression on us.
The story began with a pretty hat that Mom received as a gift to protect her from the sun. However, Josh and I could see that Mom’s frugal nature and fashion sense were in battle. Mom really didn’t want to get rid of the hat—it was new and had a lot of use left in it—but neither could she stand wearing it. She tried to take off the fancy decorations, but they were stuck on tight. She’d have to find some other solution.
Josh and I watched as Mom headed upstairs to the attic with the hat. “Waste not, want not,” she called back down. We heard boxes being moved around. Moments later, Mom leaned out, holding a flour bag full of straw, and with a mysterious smile, she placed the hat on it.
“What is that for?” I asked, confused. “A scarecrow! ” Mom exclaimed. “But not a good one yet.It needs a strong body to stand firm in the field,” she said with a frown. “And it doesn’t look scary enough,” Josh remarked. I had to admit that Josh, though younger than I was, could sometimes be more imaginative. Josh and I turned to each other, searching for a good idea. Soon enough, Josh’s eyes lit up with inspiration.
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: “Come with me!” Josh called out.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: In the following days, the scarecrow stood proudly.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . Dad often says that hope is everywhere. In his fifties, he lost his job. But he managed to get the chance of a newspaper delivery. It became a family
Delivering papers is one of the most
The paper delivery, though very hard work, gave me many things. First, it
| A．decision | B．business | C．command | D．union |
| A．amusing | B．exciting | C．interesting | D．tiring |
| A．old | B．strong | C．clever | D．brave |
| A．advised | B．forced | C．ordered | D．allowed |
| A．retired | B．dismissed | C．married | D．separated |
| A．father | B．manager | C．ruler | D．driver |
| A．write down | B．deal with | C．clear up | D．speak out |
| A．route | B．station | C．circle | D．pace |
| A．explanation | B．reputation | C．responsibility | D．quantity |
| A．equipped | B．connected | C．distanced | D．greeted |
| A．badly | B．partly | C．merely | D．rarely |
| A．lessons | B．licenses | C．abilities | D．attitudes |
| A．soft | B．stupid | C．performing | D．contributing |
| A．laughing | B．sleeping | C．working | D．talking |
| A．form | B．destroy | C．ruin | D．observe |
3 . I vividly remember the day when my husband and I set off on a new journey to Tanzania. He had been
As we got off the train, however, at six in the morning, a lady came rushing along the
I washed, changed, had a quick bite to eat and was
Though my entry into this
| A．awarded | B．offered | C．allowed | D．presented |
| A．disappointed | B．dissatisfied | C．unconcerned | D．uneasy |
| A．priority | B．worry | C．action | D．response |
| A．river | B．platform | C．sidewalk | D．channel |
| A．probably | B．suddenly | C．desperately | D．occasionally |
| A．longed for | B．waited for | C．heard about | D．worried about |
| A．remark | B．interruption | C．suggestion | D．request |
| A．keep | B．take | C．forget | D．quit |
| A．introduced | B．recommended | C．assigned | D．compared |
| A．colleagues | B．assistants | C．students | D．interviewers |
| A．exactly | B．finally | C．immediately | D．smoothly |
| A．expected | B．regretted | C．delayed | D．dropped |
| A．career | B．country | C．agreement | D．relationship |
| A．value | B．strengthen | C．renew | D．harvest |
| A．comment | B．record | C．impact | D．impression |
4 . I had been exploring the 40-hectare woods around our cottage my whole life and I knew the way well. So, it was a
One dull cold February afternoon, I had a sudden
As the shadows started to
I instinctively (本能地) pulled out my phone to get my location, but it
That winter’s day taught me a valuable
| A．shock | B．guilt | C．bonus | D．superiority |
| A．appointment | B．urge | C．capacity | D．response |
| A．fetched | B．drove | C．looked | D．headed |
| A．dignity | B．dream | C．day | D．way |
| A．emerge | B．swing | C．lengthen | D．fade |
| A．overtake | B．overestimate | C．overlook | D．overstate |
| A．muddy | B．rough | C．winding | D．original |
| A．sponsoring | B．trusting | C．hatching | D．nailing |
| A．curiosity | B．doubt | C．comparison | D．anticipation |
| A．rang | B．slipped | C．exploded | D．died |
| A．panicky | B．random | C．grand | D．straightforward |
| A．exposed | B．behaved | C．defended | D．composed |
| A．turned out | B．stressed out | C．made out | D．came out |
| A．foundation | B．session | C．liberty | D．lesson |
| A．practice | B．standard | C．theory | D．pace |
I stared at myself in the mirror: blue tights, yellow vest, a fish tail trailing behind me, and large eyes sitting at op my head. I raised my eyebrows and sighed.
“Mom, I don’t think this costume is right,” I said. “Maybe the makeup will add something,” Mom replied hopefully.
Somehow Mom had convinced me to play the Fish Footman in Alice in Wonderland. I can’t say it’s been the time of my life.
“What if I forget my lines?” I hesitated.
“Oh Riley, is that what you’re afraid of? I know you’ve been rehearsing for two months, you were the first off-book in your scene, and I couldn’t be prouder of you.” Mom said, kneeling down and hugging me.
The next day we pulled into the parking lot, and I stepped out of the car, wearing the questionable costume. I shrank inside myself, but Mom pulled me toward the makeup room. When the makeup was done, I looked at myself in the mirror. My jaw dropped.
“Mom! I can’t go onstage like this!” I cried.
“Why not?”
“I’d be a laughing stock (笑柄)! ”
“Riley, look around you! You’re not the only one in an odd costume.”
“What if we just sneak out? No one will miss me.” I whispered.
Mom’s lips disappeared into a thin line, and I knew I had gone too far. “Riley, I’m going to watch you go out on that stage tonight. And that’s the end of it.” Then mom disappeared into the audience. I sat there, alone and bored, as the play began and the curtain rose on.
The two boys dressed as Two of Clubs (梅花2) near me chatted casually about this and that. Suddenly, they asked, “You’re awfully quiet. Is this your first show?” I tried to respond, but my voice caught in my throat and refused to escape. I coughed and nearly yelled, “YES!”
The Ace of Diamonds (方块A) sitting nearby laughed. “The audience will certainly hear you if you talk that loud. But you might have to clear your throat first, she chuckled. I gave them a weak smile.
“Don’t worry about us,” the Ace said. “We’re only teasing.”
“Yeah,” the Two said. “When you’ve done as many shows as we have, projecting will be second nature to you.”
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:
When my name was called, I stepped onto the stage uneasily.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Suddenly I was determined to make a lasting impression.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In my childhood, under the influence of my el der brother and my peers in the neighborhood, I tried a number of outdoor activities. Of course, I was not so taken by all of them. whether I was doing them for the first time or continuously. However, fate had its own plans in store. You never know when an outdoor activity will change my life.
The name of this activity is “fishing”. About ten years ago, I didn't really like the idea of sitting on the bank of a lake or river, spending long hours under the sun's ultraviolet rays, which can cause sunburns and skin damage, and anxiously anticipating some fish to be kind to take my bait(诱饵). In fact, I used to think of this outdoor activity as some kind of “hide-and-seek-game” that is popular with most young kids, except that it was much harder because I could see my “prey (猎物)” only after catching it.
However, all that changed when I paid a visit to my aunt in the countryside during a summer holiday. I was finally convinced by one of my cousins to accompany him to a nearby lake in order to do some fishing practice with him. In fact, he even assured me that fish would eat my baits. So I agreed and went to the lake expecting to catch some fish. Before throwing my fishing line into the water, my cousin did some tricks attaching some sort of food to my fishing pole.
Learning to fish in a river or lake can be challenging for the beginners like me. The act of dropping a line is easy, but being a successful fisher is hard. That's why they call it fishing but not catching But with practice and patience, it can become easier over time. Patience is essential in lake fishing. It may take some time to find the right spot or lure (鱼饵) that will attract fish.
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。
My cousin had to repeatedly remind me to keep patient.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When we finally left the lake, I had caught three fish!
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. What happened to Sam?
| A．He was knocked down by a truck. |
| B．He fell to the ground when crossing the road. |
| C．He stopped the truck driver when crossing the road. |
| A．David. | B．The boy’s mother. | C．The little boy. |
| A．She was David’s neighbor. | B．She couldn’t walk. | C．She couldn’t afford enough food. |
8 . Daniel Hove spent years serving his community in Wisconsin as the Assistant Fire Chief for the Burnsville Fire Department. In 2012, he
Daniel spent years fighting the
As Daniel’s
“When my dad would get restless, the dog would be
As Gunner’s suffering hit its peak, Heather
Special friends are placed in our lives. And the story of this dog and his owner is a beautiful
| A．came | B．retired | C．returned | D．suffered |
| A．common | B．impressive | C．terrible | D．addictive |
| A．support | B．praise | C．criticism | D．popularity |
| A．moved | B．swung | C．stopped | D．remained |
| A．devotion | B．decision | C．battle | D．work |
| A．experienced | B．enhanced | C．conveyed | D．explored |
| A．unsatisfied | B．uneasy | C．selfless | D．careless |
| A．proved | B．inferred | C．guessed | D．saw |
| A．exactly | B．frequently | C．instantly | D．originally |
| A．rushed to | B．sent for | C．thrown into | D．dropped by |
| A．play | B．sleep | C．live | D．wake |
| A．place | B．healing | C．time | D．liking |
| A．Inseparable | B．Suitable | C．Countable | D．Unbelievable |
| A．fashion | B．reminder | C．form | D．encounter |
| A．process | B．education | C．learning | D．company |
As I was looking for a new flat, I was temporarily staying at a lovely small hotel. Unfortunately, during that time, I was due to participate in an online conference for an entire week. I was stuck inside from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm, the entire duration of the cleaning hours. I figured that I could go those five days without my room being cleaned and it wouldn’t be a problem. I would just put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on my door.
On the second day as I was heading to get breakfast at the hotel, I bumped (撞见) into the cleaning lady named Anna. I asked her if I could give her my rubbish, and I mentioned that I would be working the entire day so she needn’t worry about cleaning my room. She smiled and said it was okay.
The next day, when I returned from my breakfast, my room had already been cleaned. The same happened on the following day. On Friday, I finished my breakfast quicker than usual and the cleaning lady was just heading out. She smiled and said that she was happy that even though I ate quicker than usual, she was still able to finish in time.
I finally realized that all this time, she had been keeping an eye on when I headed for breakfast so she could clean my room. Given that looking for a flat in a new city and working in one of the smallest hotel rooms in London were already very stressful, I was incredibly moved. I thanked Anna and told her that, fortunately, it was the very last day of the conference, but I was very thankful.
The following week, I finally got the keys for my new flat. Excited and grateful for all the help I had received while moving in, I bought a box of chocolates and made my way to the receptionist.
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。
I said to the receptionist, “Could you please give those to Anna?”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After a while, Anna arrived, looking slightly puzzled.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . Most people who ran the marathon last month spent days before resting up and days after recovering. But not Jacky Hunt-Broersma. In total, she ran 104 marathons in 104 days. If it’s confirmed by Guinness World Records, that would be a new world record. And she did it all with one leg and a prosthesis (假肢).
“Someone able-bodied had done it previously. I wanted to see if I could do it on a prosthetic leg and see what would happen,” she said. “I thought it would be a great way to inspire others to push their limits because I truly believe that we’re stronger than what we think. And I’ve been so pleasantly surprised that my body is held up, everything is held up and I’ve made it to 104.”
She actually did not pick up the sport until after she lost the lower part of her left leg in 2001 to a type of cancer called Ewing sarcoma. Runners using a prosthetic leg can’t use a regular one. They need a running blade (刀锋式跑步义肢). Hunt-Broersma has two, but she was only able to run with one because of the swelling she experienced in her left leg that made it impossible to connect to the other blade. But even with the pain that occurred, she has been able to put up with it and continued.
All together, Hunt-Broersma ran over 4, 385 kilometers. During that time she has had a lot of time to think and has learned a few things about herself. “It has taught me how strong one can be and how important absolute determination is. If you’re mentally strong, you can do anything,” she said. “And our bodies are just amazing...This whole journey was impressive and super hard, but it’s told me how strong I can be as a person and how far I can push myself.”
1. Why did Hunt-Broersma decide to run marathons?| A．She wanted to set a new record. |
| B．She intended to challenge herself. |
| C．She was driven by her interest. |
| D．She was inspired by people like her. |
| A．She didn’t get professional training. |
| B．She found it hard to keep her balance. |
| C．She suffered discomfort in her left leg. |
| D．She couldn’t use regular running blades. |
| A．Rome wasn’t built in a day. |
| B．Time works wonders. |
| C．A good beginning is half the battle. |
| D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
| A．Annoyed. | B．Concerned |
| C．Admiring. | D．Humorous. |
