Only then did I know the truth—my family was in need of money. Wrapping my sweaty hands tightly around the bills,
2 . Several days ago, I was walking home from school and saw some writing on a fence of a house I was passing by. It said, “Happiness is a direction, not a destination.” I had been having a bad day and just reading this brightened my day a little. I also took out a pen and wrote one of my favorite quotes (格言) down.
When I came back to the fence, I saw another quote under mine in the same handwriting as the first one. I added another, and we kept at this pattern for quite a while. One day, I was writing another quote on the fence and the old man, one of my neighbors, who owned the fence, saw me. He came out and I was afraid he would be mad at me for writing on his fence; he was not known to be very friendly. He gave me a sharp glance and then read the quotes on the fence. Without saying a word, he said something to himself and then went back inside. I was a bit terrified for a while, afraid to go back to the fence, but when I did, I noticed not more quotes but two words in entirely different handwriting had been added, “Thank you.”
Later, I saw the old man in his front yard. He beckoned (招手示意) me over and told me how my quotes had been inspiring him, how he thanked me and how he was glad to see young people still have “values”. We are now good friends and I talk to him a lot. This experience has changed my life. I still don’t know who wrote that very first quote, but if he is out there, I’d like to say “thanks” to that unknown friend.
1. Why did the writer begin to write a quote on the fence?| A．He wanted to practice his handwriting. | B．He had gotten some help from the quote. |
| C．He thought that doing this was interesting. | D．He wanted to draw his neighbor’s attention. |
| A．He had thought that the old man was a mad person. |
| B．He had once been told that the old man was unkind. |
| C．He thought the old man would scold him for what he had done. |
| D．He thought the old man would tell his parents about his action. |
| A．was very happy | B．did not mind them | C．was a bit angry | D．was very sad |
| A．The old man. | B．Someone else. | C．The writer himself. | D．That unknown friend. |
3 . I was eleven years old standing outside in just my underwear (内衣) while I saw our house burnt to the ground. A few minutes earlier I had been sound asleep in my bed when a
I stood there
| A．ring | B．fight | C．noise | D．laugh |
| A．farm | B．store | C．house | D．bedroom |
| A．settled | B．jumped | C．searched | D．acted |
| A．snow | B．smoke | C．wind | D．storm |
| A．waking | B．asking | C．encouraging | D．serving |
| A．find | B．do | C．change | D．control |
| A．guessing | B．hiding | C．shaking | D．listening |
| A．angrily | B．carefully | C．calmly | D．helplessly |
| A．wondered | B．explained | C．recorded | D．accepted |
| A．missed | B．lost | C．repaired | D．damaged |
| A．remembered | B．imagined | C．realized | D．ignored |
| A．matter | B．disappear | C．recover | D．remain |
| A．help | B．chance | C．success | D．advice |
| A．training | B．holding | C．dressing | D．washing |
| A．tired | B．careless | C．poor | D．alive |
4 . The story of Oprah Winfrey’s life is one of overcoming incredible odds and achieving great success. Born into poverty in Mississippi, Winfrey faced numerous challenges throughout her childhood. She was raised by her grandmother, who installed in her a love of reading and a strong work ethic. However, Winfrey was also the victim of abuse and neglect, both at home and in her community.
Despite these obstacles, Winfrey showed great promise from a young age. At age 19 she became a news anchor(主播) for the local television station, and in 1976 she was made a reporter and co-anchor for the ABC news in Baltimore, Maryland. She found herself limited by the objectivity required of news reporting, and in 1977 she became co-host of the Baltimore morning show People Are Talking.
Winfrey excelled in the casual and personal talk-show format, and in 1984 she moved to Chicago to host the faltering(衰退的) talk show AM Chicago. Winfrey’s honest and engaging personality quickly turned the program into a success, and in 1985 it was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. Winfrey’s warmth, intelligence, and empathy made her a beloved figure to millions of viewers. She used her platform to address important social issues, such as child abuse, domestic violence, and poverty.
Despite her success, Winfrey faced many challenges along the way. She struggled with her weight, and was often criticized for her appearance. She also faced many personal and professional setbacks in her life and work. However, Winfrey refused to give up. She continued to work hard, launching her own production company, Harpo Productions, and starting her own cable network, OWN. She also became a philanthropist, donating millions of dollars to charitable causes.
Today, Winfrey is one of the most successful and influential people in the world. She has won lots of awards for her work. She is also a best-selling author and a respected public speaker. Winfrey’s story provés the power of perseverance, hard work, and faith in oneself.
1. What did Oprah Winfrey start her career as?| A．A news anchor. | B．A talk show co-anchor. |
| C．A manager of a company. | D．A reporter of a TV station. |
| A．It was a TV program meant to help the local citizens. |
| B．Oprah Winfrey’s excellent qualities made it successful. |
| C．It called on viewers to fight against poverty and crimes. |
| D．It was a program designed only for Oprah Winfrey. |
| A．Winfrey faced many doubts about her hosting style. |
| B．Winfrey set up a company of her own. |
| C．Winfrey never gave up in face of difficulties. |
| D．Winfrey contributed lots of money to charities. |
| A．To tell us that our life has its ups and downs. |
| B．To share Winfrey’s life experience with us. |
| C．To encourage us to work hard in our careers. |
| D．To sing high praise for Winfrey’s success and qualities. |
Once upon a time, a king wanted to test his national quality. So early one morning, he disguised
THE STONE IN THE ROAD
Once upon a time there was a king who often thought, “Nothing good can come to a nation whose people only complain and expect others to solve their problems.” One day, he had an idea.
Early one morning, the king disguised himself and went to a local village. He placed a large stone in the middle of the main street and hid gold coins under the stone. Then he hid behind a huge maple tree and watched.
The first person down the street was a milkman with his cart. He crashed into the stone, spilling the milk everywhere. “What fool put this stone here?” he shouted. He picked himself up and angrily went away.
After a while, a group of women came along, each balancing a pot of water on her head. One woman tripped over the stone and her water pot went crashing to the ground. She picked herself up and limped away in tears. Neither she nor her friends thought about moving the stone out of the road.
The king watched all day as many people complained about the stone, but he found nobody making an attempt to move it. The king was in despair. “Is there no one in this village who feels any responsibility to keep their neighbours from harm?”
Just then, the king saw a young girl coming along. She was the daughter of a local farmer. She had been working all day and was very tired. But when she saw the stone, she said to herself, “This stone is a danger to anyone who comes down the street after dark. I’ll move it out of the way.”
The girl pushed the stone with all her might. After a great deal of effort, she finally succeeded in moving it to the side of the street. Imagine her surprise when she saw the gold coins where the stone had been!
Just then, the king stepped out from behind the tree. “Oh sir,” the girl said, “does this gold belong to you? If not, we surely must find the owner, for he will certainly miss it.”
The king said, “My dear, the gold is mine. I put it in the road and moved the stone over it. Now the gold is yours, because you are the only person who has learnt the lesson I wanted to teach my people.”
1. Fast readingThis passage is a
2. Careful reading
True or False
(1) Early one morning, the king went to a local village, followed by his attendants.
(2) The milkman saw the the large stone in the middle of the street and went away round it.
(3) The group of women all tripped over the stone and their water pots went crashing to the ground.
(4) At last a girl pushed the stone to the side of the street and found the gold coins.
(5) The girl found the owner of the gold coins and returned them.
7 . Doing something without thinking is easy, but it’s hard for us to take back what we have done. There was once a
“Go to the marketplace,” he said, “and
The next day the wise man said, “Now, go and collect all those
The woman
| A．boy | B．man | C．woman | D．chicken |
| A．knew | B．found | C．realized | D．recognized |
| A．wounded | B．hurt | C．injured | D．attacked |
| A．polite | B．untrue | C．suitable | D．illegal |
| A．do | B．ruin | C．cause | D．repair |
| A．provide | B．charge | C．bargain | D．buy |
| A．bought | B．dropped | C．killed | D．flown |
| A．one by one | B．all in all | C．day by day | D．step by step |
| A．that | B．it | C．what | D．which |
| A．feathers | B．words | C．action | D．rumors |
| A．bring | B．keep | C．hold | D．break |
| A．copied | B．followed | C．had | D．instructed |
| A．blew | B．should blow | C．had blown | D．blown |
| A．but | B．so | C．and | D．thus |
| A．unless | B．once | C．until | D．whether |
8 . To raise money for restaurant workers who had to stay at home during COVID-19, two brothers, Aiden and Louis Ardine, decided to walk 3,200 miles across America to raise money.
Having just arrived on the sands of the Pacific Ocean, Aiden and Louis Ardine have now completed their five-month walk which started on the Asbury Park boardwalk in New Jersey. They hoped to raise $30, 000 for some charities (慈善组织) that were helping restaurant workers waiting for lockdown (隔离) to end, but ended up making $70,000 — which they gave away to the COCO Fund and the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation.
“This would not have been possible without the help of a huge community of people, whether people were donating or helping us guide our way across the United States,” said Aiden Ardine. “This was surely an adventure full of hope, and it proved people are born good and want to help their neighbors.”
Just like cross-country trips in this nation, their journey was characterized by amazing views, long roads, and helpful strangers: like a man who passed them in the extreme heat of summertime Iowa, before doubling back and giving them a cold Gatorade; or a Nevada campground manager who left them stay for free.
In Utah they had what the naturalist John Muir would have described as an “interview” with a black bear, when rounding a corner in the path, they found themselves within a few feet of it.
When they reached San Francisco, their supporters were waiting for them on the beach. Afterwards they flew home along with their mom who had been there to meet them. After their adventurous stay away from home, we can only imagine she was really feeling proud of her sons.
1. What did the two brothers collect money for?| A．Setting up some charities. | B．Helping to end the lockdown. |
| C．Completing their five-month walk. | D．Aiding restaurant workers stuck at home. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Caring. | C．Curious. | D．Honest. |
| A．They met with a bear. | B．They were interviewed. |
| C．They visited a naturalist. | D．They were lost in the path. |
| A．A Long Journey | B．Walk with Love |
| C．A Proud Mother | D．Adventure with Fun |
The short story “After Twenty Years” is set in New York on a cold, dark night. Everything was very quiet. A police officer on duty found a man with a scar on his face outside a shop, and they started to have
One night twenty years ago, they
| raise one’s voice; take one’s advice; calm down; jump in with both feet |
Little Tom nervously approached his mother and told her he wanted to swim in the pool by himself. On hearing it, she
