1 . Most 5-year-olds are just learning their ABCs but one little girl from the UK has actually written a book that was published in January 2022. Bella-Jay Dark from Weymouth, is the world’s youngest female to be published and was awarded the title by Guinness World Records (吉尼斯世界纪录). Her book, The Lost Cat tells the story of Snowy, a cat who got lost after going outside alone at night. She hopes the book will teach children not to go outside at night alone.

While many adult writers find inspiration for their books from life experiences, Bella’s creative vision actually came from one of her drawings. “It started off as a picture. My daddy said I could make a book and a story came from the picture,” Bella said.

Her mom, Chelsie Syme, was surprised that the book turned out as well as it did. “I am just really proud of her; I did not think it was going to go this far so I’m just proud and want to see her get the acknowledgement she deserves.”

But how do you get a child’s homemade book published? According to Syme, they took Bella’s book to a book fair and found a publisher willing to take a chance on it. Syme helped Bella with proofing copies (校对本) and making necessary changes. To earn the Guinness World Record title of The World’s Youngest Published Author, female, the book has to be published by a commercial publishing house and have at least 1000 copies printed and sold. Bella’s book met the criteria, so she was awarded the title.

Besides being an accomplished author, Bella is just a regular kid who enjoys reading, swimming, and playing on her tablet. In her free time, she is currently working on a sequel (续篇) to Snowy’s story. Who knows what pearls of wisdom will come next?

1. What does Bella want to express through her book?

A．She loves Snowy very much.

B．It’s dangerous for children to go outside at night alone.

C．She appeals to people to protect animals.

D．She hopes others will help her to find the missing cat.

2. Where does Bella get the inspiration of the book?

A．Bella’s life experiences.

B．A storybook bought by her father.

C．Children’s interest in animals.

D．A picture she drew herself.

3. What does the underlined word “regular” probably mean in the last paragraph?

A．Frequent.

B．lovely.

C．Average.

D．Clever.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．The World’s Youngest Published Author

B．The Lost Cat Snowy

C．A Clever and Famous Girl

D．A Title of Guinness World Records

4 . When I was a boy, we had several gardens around our old house. The largest one of all was used just for growing potatoes.

I can still remember those potato-planting days. The whole family helped. After my father had tilled (犁地) the soil, my mother, brothers and I went to work. It was my job to drop the little seed potatoes in the rows while my mother dropped handfuls of fertilizer (肥料) beside them. My brothers then covered them with the freshly turned earth.

For months afterward I would glance over the garden while I played outside and wonder what was going on underneath the ground. When the harvest time came, my father pulled them out of the soil. I was amazed at the huge size of the potatoes. Those little seeds had grown into huge delicious potatoes.

They would be turned into all kinds of delicious food: baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes. And my personal favorite: potatoes slow cooked in spaghetti sauce (意大利酱). They would keep the entire family well fed throughout the whole year. It truly was a miracle (奇迹).

Thinking back on those special times makes me wonder how many other seeds I have planted in the hearts and minds of others. Every single day, we plant seeds that can grow into something wonderful. I hope that you plant only goodness, peace and happiness in the lives of everyone you meet. I hope that every day you help miracles to grow.

1. What was the author’s job when they were planting potatoes?

A．Tilling the soil.	B．Watering the seeds.
C．Dropping the seeds.	D．Covering the seeds with earth.

2. Why was the author surprised when he saw the potatoes pulled out of the soil?

A．He had never seen so many potatoes.	B．It was very hard to pull them out.
C．One potato could be made into a meal.	D．The little seeds had grown into big potatoes.

3. Why did the author say it was a miracle in the fourth paragraph?

A．The potatoes could turn out to be different kinds of food.

B．He had eaten different kinds of food made of potatoes.

C．The potatoes could feed their family for the whole year.

D．The potatoes in their garden were delicious.

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Memories of Planting Potatoes	B．How to Plant Potatoes
C．Make Life a Miracle	D．Plant Good Seeds in Life

7 . When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”. My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, and then there were baths, playing catch and many other games. Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them. We always felt better when she was around.

One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up (咬破) one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, “Bad girl,” she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.

Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us. People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she’d let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we’d be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. She never barked or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.

Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss the days when she was with us.

1. What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?

A．Look at them sadly.	B．Keep them company.
C．Play games with them.	D．Touch them gently.

2. What made Brownie cry?

A．She was too hungry.	B．She chewed up one of the shoes.
C．The author criticized her.	D．The author didn’t prepare food for her.

3. What does the underline word “barked” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Shouted.

B．Smiled.

C．Lay.

D．Jumped.

4. Which of the following best describes Brownie?

A．Shy.

B．Polite.

C．Brave.

D．Caring.

8 . The most valuable thing I ever lost was a pair of diamond earrings I bought many years ago at a charity auction (拍卖会). Though very beautiful, they were heavy and turned out to be painful to wear. I wrote about the lost earrings in my new children’s book, The Christmas Pig. When they reach the Land of the Lost, where the hero must go to rescue his most beloved toy, my earrings are angry that they aren’t treated with the respect they think they deserve. They soon find out that being made of diamonds counts for very little in the strange world where human-made objects go when lost, because a thing’s importance there depends on how much it’s truly loved.

The Christmas Pig explores a deep attachment to an old object. It’s about the journey of a boy, Jack, who is a little lost himself but discovers his bravery and ability to love in a strange world. Of all the books I’ve written, this is the one that made me cry the most, because I was dealing with emotions that run deep in all of us. Loss and change are hard for children, and acceptance of these unavoidable parts of life isn’t much easier for adults. The Christmas Pig shows how human beings-even small, lost ones-are capable of wonderful, heroic acts.

A very strange thing happened on the day I finished editing The Christmas Pig. After emailing the final version to my editor, I set about clearing out a cupboard. The last object I picked up was a small box. I opened it. There were my long-lost diamond earrings. I’ve decided to sell them and give the money to a charity. I think it will be a nice ending for my earrings’ story to have them do some good for children in the Land of the Living.

How many times have I been asked whether I believe in magic? On the day I finished The Christmas Pig, for a few shining moments, I really did.

1. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To advertise her first children’s book.	B．To reveal our attachment to old objects.
C．To tell a story happening in a strange world.	D．To introduce her new book and the story behind it.

2. What is The Christmas Pig mainly about?

A．A boy discovered bravery in the real world.	B．A boy was weighed down by some earrings.
C．A boy saved his lost toy in the magical world.	D．A boy helped the earrings find their own value.

3. Why did the book make the author cry the most?

A．The boy dealt with loss and change bravely.

B．It was based on her own past experiences.

C．She was unable to forgive herself.

D．Many adults could hardly understand the main character.

4. What does the author want to tell us through the story of her earrings?

A．Magic in books can happen in real life.	B．Sometimes warm magic can happen in life.
C．We should donate to help those in need.	D．Lost things will turn up sooner or later.

9 . My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a yard with a lot of ________. Very often when we have flowers, Denise or I would plant some between the rocks, just to add some ________ to the area.

Last summer, I found a tiny little plant in the yard that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either.

We decided to let it ________ growing until we could find out what it was.

Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the ________ plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. I decided to ________ the weeds (杂草) around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something ________.The sunflower had not ________ where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the ________.

That’s when I ________ that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t let a big rock stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability of doing the same thing. If we ________ ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we ________ to go and get what we need for growth.

We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the ________ to achieve our goals. Like the sunflower, it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had ________ in itself that it would succeed. Stand tall like the sunflower and be ________ of who and what we are, and then the environment will begin to ________ us. We will find a way to go under or around any “rocks” in order to reach our goals.

1.

A．flower

B．insects

C．vegetables

D．rocks

2.

A．water

B．fertilizer

C．color

D．shape

3.

A．stop

B．continue

C．improve

D．escape

4.

A．weak

B．strange

C．lonely

D．pretty

5.

A．collect

B．tend

C．remove

D．watch

6.

A．unusual

B．wonderful

C．terrible

D．valuable

7.

A．passed

B．started

C．left

D．died

8.

A．air

B．top

C．sun

D．house

9.

A．hoped

B．realized

C．doubted

D．regretted

10.

A．fill in

B．put in

C．worry about

D．believe in

11.

A．forget

B．hate

C．aim

D．wait

12.

A．wish

B．plan

C．ability

D．idea

13.

A．faith

B．energy

C．virtue

D．courage

14.

A．aware

B．afraid

C．proud

D．tired

15.

A．forgive

B．support

C．upset

D．affect

10 . We run into situations where we take many things for granted (理所当然的) in our daily lives. We only ________ things when they are gone. This is a sad truth of human nature.

The other day, I witnessed a similar situation. I left work and boarded the train. After entering, I noticed something ________. The center of the car had a few empty seats while both ends were crowded with people ________. I paid no much attention and sat down on one of the empty seats. I ________ a funny smell. It wasn’t long before I noticed a ________ person sleeping on three seats in front of me. He was bleeding from his nose. Why wasn’t anyone helping him?

His clothes were ________ and he was giving off a strange smell. Along with the smell, his eyes were ________, watery and red. Occasionally he scratched (抓破) himself and people looked at him as if he was a/ an ________. As the train stopped at stations and more people came in, they covered their noses and ________ him. All the seats around him were empty.

________, he began to swear at the people around him. A plain-clothes ________ took out his certificate (证件) and ________ it to the homeless man. The officer, not wanting to touch the homeless man, told him his rights and directed him to exit the ________. The homeless man turned around and said “MY HOME!” and started crying as the officer ________ the man out of the train.

A man doesn’t value things until they are gone. If he didn’t have a ________, at least he had freedom. Now he has neither. No one wants to help someone who won’t help himself.

1.

A．revise

B．earn

C．replace

D．treasure

2.

A．sensitive

B．unusual

C．earnest

D．specific

3.

A．standing

B．sitting

C．watching

D．clapping

4.

A．described

B．sensed

C．imagined

D．tested

5.

A．horrible

B．super

C．homeless

D．typical

6.

A．modern

B．torn

C．neat

D．cheap

7.

A．crazy

B．appealing

C．dull

D．familiar

8.

A．attacker

B．leader

C．companion

D．evil

9.

A．appealed to

B．responded to

C．faced away from

D．separated from

10.

A．Particularly

B．Definitely

C．Personally

D．Suddenly

11.

A．policeman

B．author

C．employer

D．promoter

12.

A．offered

B．showed

C．described

D．awarded

13.

A．train

B．seat

C．station

D．space

14.

A．inspired

B．caught

C．saved

D．walked

15.

A．seat

B．job

C．home

D．life