1 . Check out these stories of some animals.
The cat Homer
Homer the blind cat weighs only four pounds. Gwen Cooper adopted him when he was three weeks old. One night his growling (狂吠) wakes up Cooper, He’s never growled before. Surprised, Cooper opens her eyes. A burglar is standing at the foot of her bed! Cooper reaches for her phone to call 911.
“Don’t do that!” the burglar says. The sound of his voice shows his exact location, and blind Homer leaps. No match for a cat with sharp claws, the would-be robber flees.
The dog Geo
Geo follows 10-year-old Charlie Rilcy everywhere. One day Charlie, his mom, and two younger brothers are standing at a street corner. Geo is sitting at Charlie’s side. Suddenly, an out-of-control truck is heading straight for Charlie!
But Geo makes a flying leap. “He hits me so hard that I fall over,” Charlie says. The speeding truck hits Geo instead. Geo is rushed to the animal hospital.
The dog Teddy
It’s 3 a.m. in West Jordan, Utah. A mother and two children stand outside as firefighters hose (用软管浇) water on their burning house. “Is anybody inside?” the firemen ask.
The mom says no, because she feels certain that her older son escaped out the back. But just to be sure, Don Chase and his partner plunge (冲入) through the flames to look.
And what do they find? Teddy the pet dog standing by the door. Chase reaches for him, but Teddy runs down the basement stairs. Midway down, he stops and waits. But just as the firemen reach him, he takes off again. “I’m really maddened.”Chase says. “We’re wasting time chasing a dog when we should be searching for human victims.”
Then they see him — the older son, unconscious on a basement couch. Grabbing his legs and chest, the astonished firemen move him to safety, as Teddy runs behind.
1. How does Homer know where the burglar is?| A．Cooper shows him. | B．He sees the burglar. |
| C．Through the burglar’s voice. | D．Through the burglar’s actions. |
| A．interested | B．surprised | C．excited | D．annoyed |
| A．Real animal heroes | B．Funny stories about pets |
| C．How to take care of your pets? | D．Why arc dogs better pets than cats? |
2 . A farmer owned an old mule(骡子) One day the mule
After carefully thinking about the situation, the farmer
At first, the old mule was mad! But as the farmer and the neighbors
This he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!” He repeated to
It wasn’t long before the old mule, tired out, stepped
That’s life! We should face our problems and respond to them
| A．flowed | B．felt | C．fell | D．flew |
| A．protesting | B．talking | C．singing | D．crying |
| A．failed | B．refused | C．escaped | D．succeeded |
| A．decided | B．imagined | C．requested | D．pretended |
| A．However | B．Therefore | C．Moreover | D．Otherwise |
| A．situation | B．house | C．wall | D．well |
| A．disaster | B．order | C．control | D．prison |
| A．stopped | B．suggested | C．continued | D．finished |
| A．replied | B．got | C．turned | D．occurred |
| A．pain | B．dirt | C．fear | D．pity |
| A．encourage | B．experience | C．expect | D．explore |
| A．painless | B．possible | C．hopeless | D．useful |
| A．slightly | B．suddenly | C．secretly | D．successfully |
| A．hurt | B．helped | C．punished | D．controlled |
| A．obviously | B．positively | C．curiously | D．necessarily |
3 . He had been on a long flight. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: “Fasten your seatbelts.”
Then, after a while, a calm voice said, “We shall not be serving the drinks at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence (气流). Please be sure your seatbelt is fastened.” she looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming nervous.
Later, the voice of the announcer said, “We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us.
And then the storm broke out. The terrible thunder could be heard even above the sound of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies and within moments that great plane was like a leather thrown around on a vast ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on great current so fair, the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.
The man admitted that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, “As I looked around the plane. I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying.”
“The future seemed terrible and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm. And then, I suddenly saw a girl to whom the storm meant nothing. She just sat on her seat and was reading a book. Everything within her small world calm.
Sometimes she closed her eyes and then she would read again. She would straighten her legs but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being hit by the terrible storm, when it shook this way and that way, when it rose and fell so severely, and when all the adults were scared half to death, that unusual child was completely composed and unafraid.”
The man could hardly believe his eyes. It was not surprising, therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying off board he asked the girl why she had not been afraid. The sweet child replied, “Sir, my dad is the pilot and he is taking me home.’’
1. What happened while he was taking the flight?| A．A Passenger was scared to death | B．The plane met a turbulence |
| C．A girl became deaf in the plane | D．Drinks and food ran out |
| A．they were too afraid | B．they wanted to be happy |
| C．God asked them to | D．they were warned to |
| A．clever | B．health | C．strong | D．calm |
a. She closed her eyes b. She straightened her legs
c. She went on reading d. She sat on her seat reading
| A．a-d-b-c | B．d-c-a-b | C．d-a-c-b | D．a-b-c-d |
| A．Confidence | B．Determination | C．Behavior | D．Destination |
4 . A man on a cruise ship (游轮) noticed there was an elderly lady all alone, and the staff on the ship all knew her. Curious, he asked a waiter about the lady, half-expecting to hear that she owned the cruise line. However, all the waiter knew was that she had been on the last four cruises, back to back.
As he left the dining room one evening, he caught her eye and stopped to say hello. He asked, “I understand you’ve been on this ship for the last four cruises.” She replied, “Yes, that’s true.” “I don’t understand,” he said.
Without waiting, she replied, “It’s cheaper than a nursing home. The cost for a nursing home is at least $200 a day. Here on the cruise, I can get a long-term discount price of $135 a day. That leaves $65 a day for extra. I can enjoy up to 10 meals a day of fantastic food through room service. There are also free pools, an exercise room and nightly shows. Clean daily necessities are provided every day, without needing to ask. They treat you like a valued customer, not just a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have all the staff happy to help you.”
“I have the chance to meet new people every 7 or 14 days! Is the TV broken? Need to change a light bulb? No problem! They will fix everything soon and say sorry for the problems. There is always a doctor on board. This is how I want to spend the later years of my life.”
1. Why was the man curious about the elderly lady on the cruise ship?| A．He thought she was the captain of the cruise line. |
| B．He noticed she was alone but well-known on the ship. |
| C．He wanted to interview her about her daily life. |
| D．He saw she had taken the cruise ship four times. |
| A．She preferred cruising over flying. |
| B．She enjoyed working with the staff. |
| C．She thought it was more affordable. |
| D．She liked traveling to different countries. |
| A．The availability of 24-hour room service. |
| B．The opportunity to meet new people. |
| C．A discounted rate for long-term stays. |
| D．Access to onboard entertainment and activities. |
| A．The staff on the cruise ship were very friendly. |
| B．The cruise ship offered better medical care when needed. |
| C．The money could make the staff kindly and considerately. |
| D．The staff on the cruise ship were very patient. |
| A．She preferred a quiet environment. |
| B．She was not good at managing money. |
| C．She didn’t like meeting too many new people. |
| D．She hoped to live the rest of her life with respect. |
In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated (毕业) from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to give up college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted (收养) and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic — and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8. Our home was a complete zoo — a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream, either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember: Little steps add up to big dreams.
1. Why did the author give up her education when she was young?(no more than 10 words)2. What prevented her going back to college full time?(no more than 10 words)
3. For what reason did the author insist on having a college education?(no more than 10 words)
4. The underlined word “occupied” in Paragraph 4 probably means ______.(no more than 5 words)
5. According to this passage, how would you deal with a challenge if you were faced with one?(no more than 10 words)
6 . At the age of 17 years 64 days, Mack Rutherford has become the youngest person to fly around the world alone! Mack’s journey around the world lasted five months and he flew across 52 countries in total. His record-breaking flight began in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, on 23 March, 2022. He was 16 years old when he took off and celebrated his 17th birthday by himself in his plane.
Mack faced many challenges during his adventure. Because of his small-sized aircraft, he had to land whenever the weather got too rough. However, at some points he literally couldn’t land, such as when flying non-stop for 10 hours over an ocean. At other points, he faced extremely hot weather, such as in Dubai. In Sudan, a country in Africa, Mack also faced sandstorms which made it hard for him to see where he was going. Mack battled strong winds and pouring rain during his flight, but he never stopped smiling, joking and updating his flowers on his social media account along the way, and managed to expertly pilot his plane to safety.
And if Mack’s surname “Rutherford” sounds familiar, it’s because his elder sister Zara also flew around the world earlier this year, and still holds the female version of the record! The Rutherford siblings (兄弟姐妹) were inspired by their parents to become pilots. “I have known for certain I wanted to fly since I was eleven,” Mack said, “My dad Sam is a professional ferry pilot, my mum Beatrice is a recreational (娱乐的) private pilot.”
Mack hopes to inspire young people to begin working towards their own goals, “No matter what background you have, I believe it is never too early to work towards your dreams and you shouldn’t limit yourself by others’ expectations.” With both feet firmly back on the ground now, it’s time for Mack to turn his attention towards catching up on his schoolwork!
1. What can we know about Mack’s flight?| A．It began when he was 17 years 64 days old. |
| B．It made him the youngest person to fly alone. |
| C．It was a successful record-breaking attempt. |
| D．It took off in the capital of his home country. |
| A．Limitation of flight hours. |
| B．Darkness and safety issues. |
| C．Loneliness of flying alone. |
| D．Bad weather and long distance. |
| A．To be inspired by their parents. |
| B．To encourage each other to dream big. |
| C．To serve as examples for their siblings. |
| D．To live up to their parents’ expectations. |
| A．To encourage young people to become pilots. |
| B．To inspire young people to fight for their dreams. |
| C．To warn young people of the dangers of flying. |
| D．To free young people of worries about school work. |
| A．He will start a new journey to other place. |
| B．He will help young people to dream big. |
| C．He will work towards his another dream. |
| D．He will focus on his schoolwork. |
7 . It was the middle of winter some 30 years ago. I was a young father with three little children counting on me. I worked in a sawmill (锯木厂).
As I got ready to go to work I wrapped band aids around my fingers and put more in my pockets. Cutting and piling up wood for eight hours a day had caused my fingers to split (裂开) and bleed at their tips in the cold, dry winter air.
That day at work was harder than normal. We were short-handed on workers. The machines kept breaking down. We had to rush to catch up as the wood piled up. On top of that, all the heaters in the building had stopped working and we could see our breath as we spent hours working there.
When the work day finally ended, I walked wearily toward the washroom, took off my work gloves, and checked my aching fingers. The splits were worse than ever and I had bled through the band - aids again. I felt so tired. I wondered how long I could keep doing this, if things would ever get any better, and why life was so hard.
After driving home, I tried to put a smile on my face as I opened the front door. But instead, one appeared naturally. My daughter ran up to me, yelled “Daddy!” and wrapped her little arms around my neck. I lifted her up and my heart filled with love. My tired body didn’t feel so tired anymore. My aches and pains disappeared into her hug, And the joy in my heart chased the sadness away. At that moment I kissed my little girl’s cheek and held her tight. I knew I could continue and that things would get better.
1. What was the author’s situation 30 years ago?| A．He was young man teaching students. | B．He was a retired person owning a sawmill. |
| C．He worked in a factory as an accountant. | D．He had a heavy burden of raising children. |
| A．There were not enough workers. | B．Workers that day were not tall enough. |
| C．All the heaters had stopped working. | D．The machines stopped working repeatedly. |
| A．he was very tired | B．he felt very relieved |
| C．he wore heavy clothes | D．he was walking up and down |
| A．a face | B．a smile | C．the door | D．his daughter |
| A．family can give us support | B．labor work is not that hard |
| C．it is better to have just one kid | D．it is important for kids to study hard |
8 . I was out shopping with my kids doing my best to budget (谨慎花钱) the last of my paycheck. I saw a lady sitting beside my car with a sign that she was
The next day I was down to about $ 12 and
| A．alone | B．homeless | C．cold | D．unhappy |
| A．spend | B．lend | C．spare | D．make |
| A．paycheck | B．water | C．key | D．money |
| A．work | B．pay | C．home | D．school |
| A．special | B．good | C．upset | D．curious |
| A．bakery | B．park | C．field | D．restaurant |
| A．save | B．keep | C．design | D．deliver |
| A．credits | B．tickets | C．change | D．gold |
| A．In return | B．In addition | C．In turn | D．Instead |
| A．thanked | B．met | C．asked | D．shook |
| A．equal | B．cheap | C．extra | D．small |
| A．gesture | B．bag | C．amount | D．request |
| A．depended | B．commented | C．lived | D．based |
| A．wisdom | B．appreciation | C．love | D．kindness |
| A．go | B．receive | C．give | D．say |
9 . Backpacking (背包旅行) through Africa, I always carried some food with me
I was
For the next few weeks, when I was feeling the need for a little
Once cold and cloudy afternoon, while I was waiting for a local bus, it started to rain. Everybody looked for
In my hurry to
I was so sad that I almost cried. And then, in the corner of my eye, I noticed an old woman in rags (衣衫褴褛的)
My bus arrived shortly after and, as we drove off, I wondered if the jam would taste the same to me.
1.| A．unless | B．if | C．in case | D．in order that |
| A．looking | B．buying | C．reading | D．running |
| A．apple | B．orange | C．peach | D．strawberry |
| A．last | B．best | C．other | D．first |
| A．supper | B．treat | C．rest | D．drink |
| A．remove | B．put | C．take | D．close |
| A．divide | B．eat | C．share | D．separate |
| A．pocket | B．pack | C．corner | D．store |
| A．situations | B．conditions | C．surroundings | D．occasions |
| A．protection | B．space | C．shelter | D．warmth |
| A．beautiful | B．rainy | C．warm | D．dry |
| A．avoid | B．experience | C．defeat | D．overcome |
| A．thrown | B．buried | C．covered | D．locked |
| A．expensive | B．useless | C．precious | D．priceless |
| A．going | B．leaving | C．running | D．approaching |
| A．all right | B．bad enough | C．broken | D．damaged |
| A．standing up | B．sitting up | C．bending over | D．watching out |
| A．rest | B．remaining | C．extra | D．spare |
| A．swallowed up | B．brought out | C．ate up | D．spat out |
| A．until | B．unless | C．after | D．since |
10 . I was sitting on a medical table. Beside me was a woman in scrubs (手术服) talking about the
It was the local blood drive and I had driven 12 miles across
There are so many
| A．good | B．cold | C．dry | D．warm |
| A．looked back on | B．looked down on | C．looked up at | D．looked around at |
| A．card | B．needle | C．tube | D．thread |
| A．filling | B．holding | C．containing | D．pouring |
| A．distribute | B．donate | C．send | D．receive |
| A．save | B．influence | C．change | D．start |
| A．short | B．snowy | C．smooth | D．steady |
| A．catch | B．ignore | C．miss | D．lose |
| A．In addition to | B．With regard to | C．For the sake of | D．In spite of |
| A．upset | B．surprised | C．confident | D．delighted |
| A．blessed | B．given | C．perceived | D．got |
| A．persistent | B．ambitious | C．faithful | D．mischievous |
| A．identify | B．balance | C．match | D．meet |
| A．otherwise | B．so | C．yet | D．for |
| A．hope | B．happiness | C．challenge | D．courage |
| A．absorb | B．cherish | C．devote | D．acknowledge |
| A．return | B．reply | C．time | D．control |
| A．prizes | B．gifts | C．donations | D．suggestions |
| A．priceless | B．necessary | C．interesting | D．natural |
| A．passion | B．luck | C．dreams | D．love |
