1 . The input Dad has on my career is incomparable. My earliest memories are of Dad sitting in the kitchen playing the guitar, listening to his favourite song by his favourite singer, and encouraging his little girl to poke (戳) keys randomly on the piano. Even watching Top of the Pops, he would get so passionate about music in it. We weren’t a religious family, but there was something spiritual about Dad’s connection with music.
Music also became a source of comfort for me. I failed to do well academically at school and had no friends. Being at school consumed so much of my emotional energy. Instead of going to school to learn stuff, I felt as though I was simply trying to get people to like me. Things were better, but the only time I truly felt happy was when I was at home listening to music with Mum and Dad or writing songs on the piano —and the older I got, the more powerful music felt.
Dad was always my biggest supporter. When I started giving live performances at the local bar, he was the one who drove me there and back. Freeing up that time wasn’t easy for an actor. His job might mean three weeks in the Czech Republic or working with George Lucas on The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones in Hollywood.
Dad has been involved with some amazing stuff, but Daddy Pig is the one that’s had the biggest impact all over the world. When I was flying to Australia for my first tour, I was trying to find something to watch on the little screen and I noticed they had Peppa Pig. If I’m missing home and family, I always put it on. Daddy Pig is a fairly real version of my dad —he loves chocolate cake, he’s funny and usually breaks things when he’s trying to mend them. Mum and Dad were friends with one of the producers of the show and I often wonder if he looked at my dad and thought, “That’s him …that’s Daddy Pig.”
1. What can we learn about the author’s father?| A．He was good at writing songs. |
| B．He was attached to music in his soul. |
| C．He encouraged her to play the guitar. |
| D．He was passionate about watching TV series. |
| A．By picking her up in a tight schedule. |
| B．By doing a demanding job as an actor. |
| C．By watching her musical performances. |
| D．By giving live performances at the local bar. |
| A．It’s her favourite childhood cartoon. |
| B．She saw her father through Daddy Pig. |
| C．She took pride in this world famous cartoon. |
| D．It’s a cartoon about her hometown and motherland. |
| A．Funny and honest. | B．Strict and hardworking. |
| C．Famous and patient. | D．Supportive and influential. |
2 . My great-grandfather, my grandfather and my father are all farmers. My father expects me to become a farmer and
Three years ago, my father took me to an airport to visit one of his friends. His friend
Since then, if I had time, my father’s friend would teach me how to fly. He
At the age of 18, I had to tell my father what I wanted to do but I didn’t want to make him
| A．respect | B．join | C．remember | D．believe |
| A．introduced | B．examined | C．needed | D．owned |
| A．real | B．special | C．huge | D．popular |
| A．ordered | B．allowed | C．forced | D．trained |
| A．return to | B．look at | C．think about | D．care for |
| A．problem | B．custom | C．challenge | D．goal |
| A．even | B．still | C．never | D．already |
| A．for | B．through | C．after | D．against |
| A．sick | B．worried | C．angry | D．excited |
| A．waited | B．followed | C．left | D．ran |
| A．plan | B．love | C．excuse | D．explanation |
| A．terrible | B．amazing | C．important | D．encouraging |
| A．silence | B．sadness | C．surprise | D．anger |
| A．counting | B．searching | C．saving | D．changing |
| A．different | B．strange | C．lost | D．deep |
3 . In a world where acts of kindness often go unnoticed, a good story that has been discovered reminds us of the power of care and the effect it can have on someone’s life.
It all started with a “Kindness Week Challenge” given to Brennan by his 8th-grade teacher, Ms. Watkins. Little did he know that this challenge would lead to a wonderful friendship with 84-year-old Ms. Ann.
Brennan’s promise to send his little attractive things every day for a week developed a habit of checking up on Ms. Ann and sending gifts regularly(定期地), long after the challenge was over.
Their friendship has now lasted for over five years, and Brennan still visits Ms. Ann every month with flowers, cakes, chocolates, cards and more.
They talk about everything from his high school life to his college goals. The pair has found that they share a common love of chocolates. Ms. Ann always hopes to hear about what he’s doing and loves to share her own stories from a different time. They have become the best friends, with Brennan treating her as his great-grandmother.
Brennan’s mom, Traci, takes pride in her son. She said, “The best thing a teenager can do is to take care of the elderly. I’m so glad my son has added more sunshine to Ms. Ann’s life. I hope he always remembers the joy he’s brought her, and his fun talks with her, keeps his kind heart, and thinks of others.”
Ms. Ann’s daughter Emma, with her husband Gould, has a 2-year-old son. They are thankful for Brennan’s friendship as they cannot always be with Ms. Ann. Brennan’s kind heart has brought more sunshine into Ms. Ann’s life, and her encouraging words have helped to inspire(启发)him in return.
1. How did the task “Kindness Week Challenge” affect Brennan?| A．He discovered his love of chocolates. |
| B．He became a good friend of Ms. Ann. |
| C．He developed a habit of receiving gifts. |
| D．He learned how to choose attractive things. |
| A．Flowers. | B．Cakes. | C．Chocolates. | D．Cards. |
| A．His kindness to others. |
| B．His talent for telling stories. |
| C．His good performances at school. |
| D．His ability to earn money for the gifts. |
| A．Worried. | B．Sorry. | C．Thankful. | D．Surprised. |
4 . I was cooking dinner when my cell phone rang. My friend Anna called because her car
I asked my husband to
The children were my responsibility and I couldn’t help but be
All I could do was be
| A．turned around | B．sped up | C．pulled off | D．broke down |
| A．visit | B．assess | C．fetch | D．praise |
| A．put aside | B．take over | C．pay for | D．talk about |
| A．company | B．property | C．destination | D．residence |
| A．drive | B．wander | C．escape | D．check |
| A．patient | B．nervous | C．polite | D．curious |
| A．visibility | B．gravity | C．effort | D．waste |
| A．change | B．return | C．disappear | D．peak |
| A．slowly | B．blindly | C．directly | D．exactly |
| A．shelter | B．tree | C．shoulder | D．light |
| A．learning | B．remembering | C．wondering | D．explaining |
| A．smarter | B．brighter | C．cleaner | D．closer |
| A．forced | B．instructed | C．promised | D．inspired |
| A．persuade | B．interview | C．thank | D．invite |
| A．hopeful | B．welcome | C．determined | D．grateful |
5 . When Amanda Lemay heard the story about a baker and his wife who were traveling around the United States in a van, learning from expert bakers, she wanted to do something similar. So she got rid of most of her possessions and made an old ambulance with her dad into a lovely home on wheels.
Lemay’s ambulance is actually a former emergency response vehicle for the US Navy, built on a 2006 Ford E350 Cutaway. Renovations were done by her and her dad. Now the dark blue vehicle has a lot of built-in cabinets on all sides, offering a lot of storage space, while the rooftop has 400-watts of solar power panels and a small roof deck where Lemay practices yoga. The inside is tastefully done to suit Lemay’s work and hobbies.
As Lemay mentions, not only did her father help, but so did the rest of her family. Lemay’s mother helped sew the decorations on the removable cushions, and her sister crafted the leather pulls. It was truly a family affair.
Her current nomadic lifestyle fits well with her work doing audiobooks, voiceovers, and publishing work. In the end, this unexpected path has Lemay rethinking what it means to be truly sustainable, now that van life has gotten her to become minutely aware of the water, electricity, and other daily resources that she uses. But all these day-to-day concerns are balanced with a greater sense of freedom.
“It’s almost mind-blowing, it feels like a completely different life because I’m doing the work online, and I can do things on my own schedule. Pretty much most of my days are mine — so by living in the van, I can be where I want to be, and do the things I want to do, and spend time outside.”
1. Why is the story of a baker and his wife mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．It shows a creative way of learning. | B．It was spoken highly by expert bakers. |
| C．It’s an example of strong determination. | D．It’s where Amanda Lemay got her inspiration. |
| A．All family members contributed to it. | B．Its cost was shared by family members. |
| C．It was made to suit the life of the family. | D．The whole family gathered to celebrate it. |
| A．To value every minute of her life. | B．To make the best of what she has. |
| C．To keep a balance between work and life. | D．To be aware of the real meaning of family. |
| A．Reflecting on life. | B．Forgetting all about work. |
| C．Working on her own schedule. | D．Being free from day-to-day concerns. |
6 . Last summer I went through a training program and became a literacy volunteer (扫盲志愿者). The training I received, though excellent, did not tell me how it was to work with a real student, however. When I began to discover what other people’s lives were like because they could not read, I realized the true importance of reading.
My first student Marie was a 44-year-old single mother of three. In the first lesson, I found out she walked two miles to the nearest supermarket twice a week because she didn’t know which bus to take. When I told her I would get her a bus schedule, she told me it would not help because she could not read it. She said she also had difficulty once she got to the supermarket because she couldn’t always remember what she needed. Since she did not know words, she could not write out a shopping list. Also, she could only recognize items by sight, so if the product had a different label, she would not recognize it as the product she wanted.
As we worked together, learning how to read built Marie’s self-confidence, which encouraged her to continue in her studies. She began to make rapid progress and was even able to take the bus to the supermarket. After this successful trip, she reported how self-confident she felt. At the end of the program, she began helping her youngest son, Tony, a shy first grader, with his reading. She sat with him before he went to sleep and together they would read bedtime stories. When his eyes became wide with excitement as she read, pride was written all over her face, and she began to see how her own hard work in learning to read paid off. As she described this experience, I was proud of myself as well. I found that helping Marie to build her self-confidence was more rewarding than anything I had ever done before.
As a literacy volunteer, I learned a great deal about teaching and helping others. In fact, I may have learned more from the experience than Marie did.
1. What did the author do last summer?| A．She worked in the supermarket. |
| B．She helped someone to learn to read. |
| C．She gave single mothers the help they needed. |
| D．She went to a training program to help a literacy volunteer. |
| A．Because she liked to walk to the supermarket. |
| B．Because she lived far away from the bus stop. |
| C．Because she couldn’t afford the bus ticket. |
| D．Because she couldn’t find the right bus. |
| A．She knew where the goods were in the supermarket. |
| B．She asked others to take her to the right place. |
| C．She succeeded in finding the goods by their looks. |
| D．She remembered the names of the goods. |
| A．Marie could do things she had not been able to do before. |
| B．Marie was able to read stories with the help of her son. |
| C．Marie decided to continue her studies in school. |
| D．Marie paid for her own lessons. |
7 . Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Rakesh. He studied and lived in a boarding school (寄宿学校). Every night he jumped over the wall and played outside. He
One night as usual, Rakesh found
She got up and
| A．never | B．always | C．seldom | D．sometimes |
| A．someone | B．anyone | C．no one | D．everyone |
| A．loudly | B．quietly | C．happily | D．quickly |
| A．sleeping | B．reading | C．watching TV | D．smiling |
| A．bed | B．wall | C．ladder | D．office |
| A．run | B．ran | C．jump | D．jumped |
| A．bored | B．excited | C．awake | D．asleep |
| A．took care of | B．took away | C．took a look at | D．took out |
| A．went | B．refused | C．retired | D．returned |
| A．light | B．black | C．dark | D．heavy |
| A．afraid | B．glad | C．sorry | D．amazed |
| A．surprised | B．surprising | C．surprisingly | D．surprise |
| A．buy | B．lend | C．bring | D．borrow |
| A．kindness | B．illness | C．happiness | D．sadness |
| A．lesson | B．course | C．subject | D．curriculum |
8 . There was a man playing the piano in a bar. He was a good piano player and always performed in this bar. People came in just to hear him play. But one night, a customer told him that he didn’t want to hear him just play the piano any more. He wanted him to sing a song.
The man said, “I don’t sing.”
But the customer was persistent. He told the bar manager, “I’m tired of listening to the piano. I want that man to sing!”
The manager shouted across the room, “If you want to get paid, sing a song. Our customers are asking you to sing!”
So he did. He sang a song. A piano player who had never sung in public did so for the first time. And everyone was surprised by his song — Mona Lisa. He got lots of applause (掌声) that night.
He had such a talent for singing, but he just had been sitting on his talent for the past years! If without such a chance, he may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. However, now he had become one of the best-known singers in America.
You, too, have skills and abilities. Maybe your “talent” is not as great as the singer above, but it may be better than you think! And with effort, most skills can be improved. So, in your life, you should be brave enough to try doing different things and find out what talents you really have!
1. Why did the man start to sing?| A．Because he wanted to make more money. |
| B．Because the bar manager said he liked his song. |
| C．Because the manager asked him to sing at the request of a customer. |
| D．Because he wanted to show that he had a talent for singing. |
| A．Strict. | B．Rude. | C．Patient. | D．Kind. |
| A．He hated to sing. | B．He didn’t sing. |
| C．He had no talent for singing.. | D．He didn’t discover his talent. |
| A．Some people really have no skills or abilities. |
| B．None of us is as great as the singer. |
| C．No skills can be improved even if you try. |
| D．Sometimes through effort we can know our talent. |
9 . On May 7, 2022, Merle Liivand broke her own world record for swimming with a single fin. She swam the distance of a full marathon in the rough waters of Biscayne Bay, Florida. She even picked trash out of the water as she swam.
As a child, she had health problems and began swimming to help her lungs get stronger. She was soon taking part in open water swimming contests. In one training session, she nearly swallowed some plastic that was floating in the sea. It made her think of all the sea animals who faced similar pollution every day. She decided to work to make people more aware of plastic pollution.
Liivand first set the world record for swimming with monofin (单片脚蹼) in 2019, when she swam 6.2 miles. In 2020, she broke the record again by swimming 12.8 miles. In 2021, she set a new Guinness World Record by swimming 18.6 miles. Last year, Liivand broke the record once more by swimming the length of a full marathon. It took her 11 hours and 54 seconds to swim 26.2 miles.
The water was rough, and she ran up against a few problems, but she didn’t stop. “I got stung by jellyfish,” she said. “And I kept telling myself that it was not the time to cry.”
To keep her energy up, a friend followed her in a kayak (皮划艇) and gave her food and water from time to time. Along the way, Liivand picked up all the trash she found and put it in the kayak. By the end of her marathon, the kayak held three bags of trash. She said, “This isn’t just about a record. It’s about helping the community and the world. Set a dream and try your best to make it come true. I will persist (坚持) it forever.”
1. What made Liivand develop the idea of picking up trash while swimming?| A．One of her swimming experiences. |
| B．The death of sea animals. |
| C．Her illness caused by pollution. |
| D．The encouragement from a friend. |
| A．Liivand’s brief life experiences. |
| B．Liivand’s innovation on swimming. |
| C．Liivand’s action against plastic pollution. |
| D．Liivand’s achievements in swimming. |
| A．Broke through. | B．Prepared for. |
| C．Came across. | D．Took away. |
| A．Cherish what you have. | B．Stick to your dreams. |
| C．Face disabilities bravely. | D．Help people in need. |
10 . Jamil Jan Kochai, the author of 99 Nights in Logar, searched for more than a decade for Susan Lung — the second-grade teacher who had changed his life over 20 years earlier. On Saturday night, the two were finally reunited at one of his book-reading events.
The writer was born in a refugee camp (难民营) for Afghans in Peshawar, Pakistan, and his family moved to California when he was just a year old. At home, they spoke mostly Pashto and some Farsi, so by the time he reached first grade, he was at a total loss because he could hardly speak English. Then came Mrs. Lung, who quickly realized that Kochai was deeply struggling at Alyce Norman Elementary School.
The two got to work, meeting for one-on-one lessons nearly every day after school. At the end of the school year, Kochai won reading-comprehension competitions.
Lung and Kochai lost touch when Kochai’s father got a job in another city and the boy moved on, with a new love of reading and writing. When he grew older, Kochai’s parents encouraged him to find his former teacher to thank her. But despite his efforts, he failed to track her down.
“I didn’t know her first name. She was always just Mrs. Lung to me, so when I called places to ask about her, they couldn’t find any records of her,” Kochai said.
Then, while promoting his first novel, he wrote an essay for Literary Hub magazine touching on the transformative impact that Lung had on his life. Lung’s doctor happened to read it, and told the now-retired educator about that.
Lung’s husband saw a Facebook post about Kochai’s reading event on Saturday in Davis, California and suggested he drive his wife there.
“I had no idea they were going to be there,” Kochai said. “It was just like a sweet dream. Mrs. Lung was sitting in the front row. She was just the same Mrs. Lung. Just as sweet, kind and warm as ever.”
Kochai and Lung hugged, and Kochai finally got the chance to express to her how much he still thought of her and how much she meant to him.
1. How did Mrs. Lung help Kochai?| A．By dropping by his house regularly. | B．By asking him to read more in class. |
| C．By spending extra time tutoring him. | D．By saving him out of a refugee camp. |
| A．There were few records about her. | B．His parents provided little support. |
| C．He was too young to remember her. | D．He had limited information about her. |
| A．Surprised and delighted. | B．Shocked and angry. |
| C．Ashamed and regretful. | D．Proud and grateful. |
| A．A Distinguished Guest Showed Up at a Reading Event |
| B．A Writer Was Finally Reunited With His Former Teacher |
| C．A Famous Teacher Saved a Poor Student’s Whole Life |
| D．A Book Changed a Celebrity and a Retired Teacher |
