1 . I was scared when a loud noise in my apartment woke me in the middle of the night. I rushed to turn on my bedroom light and discovered it was a cat. Here’s the thing — I do not have a cat. And this was not the first time this particular cat had demanded my attention. I immediately calmed down and realized my mistake — I had left a window open. I approached my house guest to entertain her by giving her some treats and scratches under her collar.
Just like many others, I shifted from working in an office to working from home. Living alone can be separate from outside at the best of times. It was around the one-month mark of the lockdown when I heard a meow outside my window. Sitting outside on the grass was a long-haired, golden-colored cat. I opened the window, and this beautiful cat jumped into my home. Her short visit lifted my spirits for the day.
A few days later, I heard a familiar meow. I saw a name tag on her collar: Mika. On this second visit, I also noticed Mika was cross-eyed, which only made her more lovely.
Over the next few weeks, Mika would drop by occasionally. Sometimes, she only stayed for a few minutes; other times, she would wander around my apartment much longer. Each visit cheered me up. Mika even served as my social bridge, helping me connect with some new neighbors, who, as it turns out, had also received visits from her.
While the lockdown has been awful, I doubt I might not have ever met Mika if it had not happened. But perhaps she came by at this time because she sensed a need for connection on my part.
While dogs are said to be man’s best friend, a good cat can be everyone’s best friend.
1. What do we know about the cat from the first paragraph?A.She entered by the window. |
B.She used to go out at night. |
C.She annoyed the neighbors badly. |
D.She liked the author’s treats particularly. |
A.Moved. | B.Cheerful. | C.Lonely. | D.Angry. |
A.By bringing food. |
B.By serving as a social bridge. |
C.By keeping the house clean. |
D.By protecting him from dangers. |
A.The open window. | B.The lockdown. |
C.A need for connection. | D.A stay with new neighbors. |
A.The author lives an unusual life. | B.The author longs for a peaceful society. |
C.Keeping cats is boring. | D.Befriending nice cats is worthwhile. |
2 . The mission of Faces of Santa Ana is to lovingly engage the homeless through art. In July 2015, Brian Peterson and his wife had just moved to Santa Ana, California with a burning desire in their hearts to love their neighbors. Outside the couple’s fourth-floor apartment, a(n)
One day, Peterson was relaxing in his living room, reading the book Love Does, about the power of love in action, when his
In that first
“It was a strange thing to me,” Peterson recalled later. “I saw
Peterson’s
Many of Peterson’s new friends use the donations to secure immediate
Peterson has painted 41 of these portraits himself. He’s discovered that the buyers tend to connect to the story of the person in the painting, finding
A.talented | B.strange | C.homeless | D.old |
A.awake | B.anxious | C.awkward | D.amazed |
A.approached | B.encountered | C.quarreled | D.spoke |
A.hobby | B.space | C.quiet | D.work |
A.Inspired | B.Enforced | C.Informed | D.Reminded |
A.indifferent | B.independent | C.unexpected | D.unwise |
A.conversation | B.compassion | C.presentation | D.realization |
A.in painting | B.in health | C.in music | D.in sales |
A.settled down | B.ended up | C.come up | D.arise from |
A.beauty | B.friendliness | C.determination | D.thirst |
A.honesty | B.calm | C.life | D.bravery |
A.Even though | B.Now that | C.Since | D.When |
A.sell | B.collect | C.evaluate | D.paint |
A.competition | B.concentration | C.connection | D.cooperation |
A.preparing | B.befriending | C.promoting | D.bargaining |
A.customers | B.artists | C.models | D.volunteers |
A.changes | B.contributions | C.necessities | D.salaries |
A.childhood | B.forgotten | C.impossible | D.musical |
A.support | B.comfort | C.similarities | D.recognition |
A.differently | B.closely | C.safely | D.diversely |
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 . Once a landlord (地主) wanted to plant garlic (蒜) in his fields. He
A fèw days later the garlic was
A.saved | B.praised | C.found | D.thanked |
A.As a result | B.In the beginning | C.In other words | D.On the whole |
A.door | B.tree | C.river | D.road |
A.sad | B.proud | C.excited | D.afraid |
A.since | B.but | C.so | D.or |
A.play | B.eat | C.sleep | D.sing |
A.If | B.Unless | C.Though | D.Because |
A.carelessly | B.luckily | C.safely | D.quickly |
A.Coffee | B.Opening | C.Supper | D.Closing |
A.drove | B.walked | C.swam | D.climbed |
A.burnt | B.terrible | C.strange | D.delicious |
A.saw | B.heard | C.touched | D.bought |
A.toys | B.books | C.fruits | D.clothes |
A.team | B.family | C.friends | D.neighbors |
A.However | B.Besides | C.Therefore | D.Simply |
A.sorry | B.sick | C.nervous | D.angry |
A.failed | B.learned | C.decided | D.continued |
A.dying | B.planted | C.blown down | D.coming out |
A.changed | B.happened | C.improved | D.disappeared |
A.smart | B.honest | C.polite | D.rich |
5 . 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. |
6 . Recently, a video story has spread among people.
James Anthony has cleaned the halls of Hickerson Primary School for 15 years. Although he is deaf, he never complains. Instead, he greets every child and teacher with a smile. Teachers and children love him very much and call him Mr. James.
On the day Anthony turned 60, the school wanted to give him a very special surprise. That day when Anthony walked into a classroom a group of children start to sign and sing “Happy Birthday” to him. Anthony stated smiling as usual. Then his jaw dropped open and he laughed for joy as he realized what was going on. A few teachers sled the kids through the whole song as Anthony watched. A wide smile was on his face. As they finished, tears came out from his eyes.
Scott, secretary of the school said, “The children love and respect Mr. James. They give him high fives in the halls, and he even teaches them sign language. Today he has put smiles on faces all around the world.”
1. James Anthony is ____.A.a cleaner | B.a student | C.a secretary | D.a guard |
A.On his fifteenth birthday. | B.On his fiftieth birthday. |
C.On his sixtieth birthday. | D.On his sixteenth birthday. |
A.Because he lost his job. | B.Because he was deeply moved. |
C.Because the kids didn’t like him. | D.Because he couldn’t hear the kids. |
A.Anthony used to be a good teacher. |
B.the kids love and respect Mr. James. |
C.the kids often help Anthony clean the halls. |
D.Anthony always greets the kids and teachers by singing songs. |
A.A Famous Teacher | B.Lovely Kids |
C.A Special Birthday Gift | D.An American School |
7 . 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 |
8 . Steve Sanders is a dad who suffered from a serious kidney (肾) disease. Although he had been living a
One day, Chris, a local shopper,
Chris filled out the paperwork and
Once the hospital showed his kidney was a
A.busy | B.rich | C.simple | D.healthy |
A.coming about | B.going down | C.taking off | D.showing up |
A.fund | B.competition | C.search | D.plan |
A.doubts | B.responses | C.permissions | D.ranges |
A.but | B.until | C.so | D.if |
A.support | B.forgive | C.blame | D.believe |
A.agree | B.understand | C.fail | D.forget |
A.recognized | B.discovered | C.cheated | D.contacted |
A.Similarly | B.Hopelessly | C.Fortunately | D.Strangely |
A.comfort | B.panic | C.shock | D.mistake |
A.brave | B.willing | C.proud | D.lucky |
A.changed | B.heard | C.noticed | D.started |
A.examine | B.remember | C.repeat | D.practice |
A.honest | B.positive | C.caring | D.patient |
A.see | B.show | C.advertise | D.ignore |
A.character | B.blow | C.pain | D.fit |
A.secretly | B.regularly | C.immediately | D.generally |
A.reward | B.generosity | C.creativity | D.carefulness |
A.owing | B.promising | C.teaching | D.serving |
A.famous | B.successful | C.adventurous | D.difficult |
9 . A Narrow Escape
Shortly after the war, my brother and I were invited to spend a few days’ holiday with an uncle who had just returned from abroad. He had rented a cottage in the country, although he hardly spent much time there. We understood the reason for this after our arrival: the cottage had no comfortable furniture in it. Many of the windows were broken and the roof leaked (漏水), making the whole house wet.
On our first evening, we sat around the fire after supper listening to the stories our uncle told of his many adventures in distant countries. I was so tired after the long train journey that I would have preferred to go to bed; but I could not bear to miss any of my uncle’s exciting stories. He was just in the middle of describing a rather terrifying experience he had once had when there was a loud crash from the bedroom above, the one where my brother and I were going to sleep.
When we got to the top of the stairs and opened the bedroom door, a strange sight met our eyes. A large part of the ceiling had fallen right on to the pillow of my bed.
1. The uncle disliked the rented cottage for the reason that________.A.there were no beds in it |
B.the windows were broken and the roof leaked |
C.it was too old for him to live in |
D.it was very rainy in the area |
A.but he did his best not to miss any stories |
B.so he had to go to bed early |
C.because he was tired of his uncle’s stories |
D.and he was gradually falling asleep while listening |
A.which his uncle read in a book |
B.which was very funny |
C.when his brother cried for being afraid |
D.when he heard a loud crash from the bedroom |
A.his uncle would have stopped telling stories |
B.his uncle would have been very sorry |
C.he would have been injured or killed |
D.his brother wouldn’t have been, either |
A.A person runs away from a danger through a narrow door. |
B.A person escapes a danger by luck. |
C.A person escapes a danger easily. |
D.A person runs away from a danger easily. |
10 . 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. |