1 . A Teacher’s Lifesaving Call

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Julia Koch began what was only her second year as a first grade teacher in a virtual classroom.

One September afternoon a few weeks into the school year, she received a call from Cynthia Phillips, who was having technical difficulties with her granddaughter’s tools for online learning.

Koch immediately knew something was wrong with Phillips. The two women had spoken numerous times before, but Koch had never heard the grandmother sound quite like this. Her words were so jumbled that Koch could barely understand her, though she was able to make out that Phillips had fallen four times that day.

Koch called her principal, Charlie Lovelady, who assured her that he would call and check on Phillips himself.

Just like Koch, Lovelady could barely understand Phillips. He suspected she might be having a stroke—he recognized the signs from when his own father had suffered one. Lovelady was able to make out the word “kids” and immediately became concerned that Phillips’s two grandchildren, aged six and eight, were probably home alone with her—she   is   their primary guardian—and scared. Lovelady asked his office manager to send an ambulance to the grandmother’s home. Then Lovelady called two deans in the school district, to tell them what was going on, both of whom dropped everything and drove to the family’s home.

When they pulled up less than ten minutes later, the EMTs(急救人员)were treating Phillips while the two girls, looking visibly shaken, were outside with a neighbor.

The quick response from Koch and Lovelady saved Phillips’s life. She arrived at the hospital in time to get treatment and before chronic damage occurred.

“If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here,” said Phillips from her hospital bed about a month after her stroke.

Thanks to an extended stay in the hospital, she has regained most of the movement throughout her body except for one hand and a portion of her mouth, which affects her speech.

1. When did the story happen?

A．When Koch was in her first grade.

B．When the grandchildren were having online classes.

C．When Lovelady was with his own father.

D．When the EMTs were giving medical help to Phillips.

2. Why did Koch know that Phillips was in trouble?

A．Because Phillips’s voice sounded strange.

B．Because Phillips had seldom called Koch.

C．Because Phillips spoke a strange language.

D．Because Koch could not hear very clearly.

3. How did Lovelady know that Phillips might be having a stroke?

A．By calling the hospital for advice.

B．By visiting Phillips in person.

C．By recognizing the signs he knew.

D．By asking the office workers for help.

4. The underlined word “chronic” in Paragraph 7 may best be replaced by ____.

A．minor.

B．unknown.

C．obvious.

D．serious.

5. What is one of the bad effects the stroke left on Phillips?

A．She could not move about properly.

B．She could not speak clearly.

C．She could not have meals properly.

D．She could not use her hands as before.

2 . 阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

I recently gave my adult class homework. The assignment was to “go to someone you love and tell them you love them. It has to be someone you have never said those words to before or haven’t shared those words with for a long time”.

That doesn’t sound like a tough assignment, but most of the men in that group were over 35 and were taught that expressing emotions is not “macho（男子汉的）”.

At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when they told someone they loved them. One of the men raised his hand. He appeared quite moved and a bit shaken.

He began by saying, “I didn’t feel that I had anyone to say those words to. But as I began driving home, I knew exactly who I needed to say ‘I love you’to. Five years ago, my father and I had a disagreement and never resolved it. We hardly spoke to each other.” “The next morning, I called my dad. When he answered the phone, I said, ‘Dad, can I come over tonight? I have something to tell you.’ I assured him it wouldn’t take long, so he finally agreed.”

“At 5：30, I was at my parents’ house ringing the doorbell. As luck would have it, Dad answered the door.”

“I took one step in the door and said, ‘Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you’”

“His face softened, his wrinkles（皱纹）disappeared and he began to cry. He reached out and hugged me and said, ‘I love you too, son, but I’ve never been able to say it.’”

“Dad and I hugged for a moment longer. I hadn’t felt that great in a long time.”

“Two days after that visit, my dad had a heart attack and ended up unconscious in the hospital. I don’t know if he’ll make it.”

“My message to all of you is this：Don’t wait to do the things that need to be done. Take the time to do what you need to do and do it now！”

1. Why might the assignment challenge the students?（no more than 10 words）
2. What happened to the author’s student and his father five years ago?（no more than 15 words）
3. What is the meaning of the underlined part in Paragraph 5?（no more than 5 words）
4. Why did the student’s father cry? （no more than 10 words）
5. What do you often do when you have disagreements with your parents? Please explain.（no more than 20 words）

3 . A small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree and it has been there for ten years or so.

It all began because my husband Justin hated Christmas—oh, not the true meaning of Christmas. Overspending was one thing, but compared to the difficult experience of choosing gifts—running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and a pair of gloves for Grandma…, spending money is nothing.

I felt too tired to think of any special gifts. Knowing Justin felt the same way, I decided one year not to buy the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so on. I reached for something special just for Justin. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in such worn-out shoes that shoe strings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, while our boys were in their blue and gold uniforms and new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was shocked to see that the other team were wrestling without wearing helmets to protect their heads. Well, our boys ended up defeating them. We took every weight class.

Justin, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot potential, but losing like this could take the heart out of them." Justin loved kids—-all kids, and he knew them, having coached little league football and baseball. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought different kinds of wrestling helmets and shoes. I sent them to the inner-city church without leaving my name.

On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Justin what I had done and that was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and since then the envelope has become the highlight of our Christmas.

1. Justin hated Christmas because________.

A．he thought Christmas makes no sense

B．he had a hard time choosing gifts

C．he spent too much money buying gifts

D．he disliked putting gifts under the Christmas tree

2. We know from the passage that the team sponsored by inner-city church________.

A．were well dressed	B．paid no attention to safety
C．feared Kevin's team	D．couldn't afford helmets

3. Justin felt sad mainly because the youngsters in the other team________.

A．didn't wear any helmets

B．were dressed in worn-out shoes

C．may lose confidence completely

D．failed in the match against his son

4. The underlined that in the last paragraph refers to________.

A．what the writer had done	B．the envelop on the tree
C．the note inside the envelop	D．the gifts the writer sent to church

5. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．A Church Gift	B．A Special Note
C．A White Envelope	D．A Christmas Card

4 . 阅读短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

In March 2019, when Sara Cook first got a letter in the mail telling her that someone had paid off a large amount of her medical debt, she simply couldn't believe it. Cautiously, she called the number listed on the letter. What she learned was that this was not a scam. It was 100 percent real.

A remarkable nonprofit called RIP Medical Debt had indeed paid $5,000 toward her bills. The organization didn't take care of all the debt she'd accumulated from several back surgeries, but the former nurse was still moved by the gesture. “I felt really loved and blessed,” she says, “knowing that complete strangers just did that out of the goodness of their hearts.

Craig Antico and Jerry Ashton do have good hearts. They're also former collection agents who have seen how heavy health-related debt has destroyed lives. “I never thought about all the hardship of the people who couldn't pay. Now I'm trying to find the people who need help.” said Antico. They got their money from individuals and charities that support RIP's mission.

RIP researches potential receivers based on three criteria. First, they look for people who make no more than two and a half times the amount established as the federal poverty level. Then they screen for those whose debt is equal to 5 percent or more of the gross income (总收入). Third, they look to see whether a person can pay off debts.

For the people who do qualify, RIP's help is life-changing. “After their letter, I realized that my life really wasn't so hard,” says Cook, “I may never be able to work as a nurse again but I can sit at the school library and help kids read or serve up food in the soup kitchen. When people do something out of the kindness of their hearts, sometimes they may wonder: Does it really make a difference? I want people to know that this has a positive impact.”

1. What does the underlined word in Para.1 most probably mean? (1 word)
2. What was Sara Cook's reaction to RIP Medical Debt? (no more than 2 words)
3. How did RIP Medical Debt get funds? (no more than 10 words)
4. What's the main idea of the 4th paragraph? (no more than 8 words)
5. What's your example of doing "kindness"? Please share. (no more than 20 words)

5 . 阅读短文，并按题目要求用英语回答问题。

Behind the band, there was a picture of a young man named Philip Hancock shown on the screen. And he was the reason they were all there. Hancock was a 27-ycar-old Australian who taught English in Chongqing. When he died in 2018 due to complications from diabetes, his parents followed his wishes and donated his organs with the help of the Red Cross Society of China’s Chongqing branch.

“I’m Philip’s liver”; “I'm Philip’s kidney”; “Philip’s eyes...”

The five people — a salesperson, a farmer, a former truck driver and two doctors introduced themselves onstage.

“Last year, Red Cross officials told me that Philip’s parents mentioned during an earlier memorial service that he loved music and dreamed of having his own band one day,” said former truck driver Chen Xianjun. Chen instantly wanted to form a hand in memory of Philip, and so did the other four receivers.

Since they had no music experience, they had to start from scratch. From learning the guitar to mastering the maracas (响葫芦) and faking on the drum they took time out of their busy lives to practice over the past year.

“Picking up a new instrument is certainly difficult at my age, but we have a clear goal in mind and are determined to achieve it.” said Mo Li, the 36-year-old real estate salesman.

Peter Hancock, Philip’s father, said after watching the bands performance that his biggest wish was for the five to enjoy their lives more. think Philip not only gave them a new life, but also some musical cells that enable them to appreciate beautiful melodies."

1. What do these five people have in common? (no more than 8 words)
2. What does the underlined part “from scratch” mean in English? (no more than 5 words)
3. What goal did these five people want to achieve? (no more than 10 words)
4. What was Philip’s father’s biggest wish? (no more than 8 words)
5. What inspiration do you get from the story? Please say it in your own words.(no more than 20 words)

6 . 阅读表达

Before entering college, I had heard so many stories about how stressful freshman year could get and that this would potentially be the most difficult experience I would ever have to go through. And yes, for the most part, those stories did live up to the reality.

In the first several months, I was urged to improve my social skills and to befriend people. Personally, there was a clear struggle on wanting to adjust and not simply adapt. Adapting required a change in behavior for the sake of fitting in and I didn't want that. Luckily and eventually, I was able to find my own group. It just required extra work and patience.

Naturally, there were academic obstacles that arose. The biggest one was my major. I was enrolled as a communication studies major. I chose it because it seemed like a safe haven. But I later discovered that it didn't actually fit my likes. After two quarters, serious thinking and several mini breakdowns, I switched to philosophy.

Ever since I was younger, I have known I wanted to work in the field. It has always intrigued me. To be honest, I've never had to read such challenging texts in my life, but I enjoy it. It pushes me beyond my limits in a good way. It introduces me to concepts and theories that I've never heard of. More importantly, it doesn't only make me more logical. It also makes me more empathic(有移情作用的)and understanding of others.

I eventually overcame the obstacles. As I recall it now, I'm thankful that the good always outweighed the bad. The good came in the form of new friends, significant learning and deepened self-understanding. As I head off to sophomore year, I plan to bring this good with me.

1. How was the author's freshman year in college? (no more than 5 words)
2. What troubled the author in his first several months in college? (no more than 10 words)
3. Why did the author switch to philosophy? (no more than 10 words)
4. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 4 mean? (no more than 10 words)
5. What do you think of the author? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)

7 . No one is born a winner. People make themselves into winners by their own efforts.

I learned this lesson from an experience many years ago. I took the head coaching job at a school in Baxley, Georgia. It was a small school with a weak football program.

It was a tradition for the school's old team to play against the new team at the end of spring practice. The old team had no couch, and they didn't even practice to prepare for the Game. Being the coach of the new team, I was excited because I knew we were going to win, but to my sadness we were beaten. I couldn't believe I had got into such a situation. Thinking hard about it, I came to realize that my team might not be the number one team in Georgia, but they were depending on me. I had to change my attitude about their ability and confidence.

I stared doing anything I could to help them build a little pride. Most important,I began to treat them like winners. That summer, when the other teams enjoyed their vacations. We met every day and practiced passing and kicking the football.

Six months after suffering our failure on the spring practice field. we won our first game and our second, and continue to improve .Finally, we faced the number one team in the state.I felt that it would be a victory for us even if we lost the game. But that wasn't what happened. My boys beat the best team in Georgia, giving me one of the greatest thrills of my life !

From the experience I learned a lot about how the attitude of the leader can influence the members of a team. Instead of seeing my boys as losers, I pushed and encouraged them. I helped them to see themselves differently, and they built themselves into winners.

Winners are made, not born.

1. Who did the author think would become the winners at first?

A．The old team.	B．Their own team.
C．The number one team.	D．The other team

2. When did the author's team win their first game?

A．Before their training.	B．During the spring practice.
C．At the start of the vacation.	D．Six months after their failure.

3. What does the underlined word “thrill" probably mean in Paragraph 5?

A．Interests

B．Fears

C．Excitements

D．Concerns

4. How did the author help their team to win?

A．By building up their confidence.	B．By giving them a lecture.
C．By buying them a book.	D．By changing the leader.

5. What can we learn from the text?

A．Time is money.	B．Winners are born.
C．Losers are always beaten.	D．Practice makes perfect.

8 . The moon had gone behind a cloud and there weren’t many stars in the sky. As I took a glance(一瞥)at my neighbor’s house, I saw a flame (火焰)in his ______. I thought he was having a midnight fast food so I went back to my______.

Soon, there was a ______ smell in the air and I guessed something was wrong. ______, I jumped out of bed and went downstairs to ______. I saw fire coming out of my neighbour’s kitchen. Right away, I ______＂Fire! Fire!＂ But there was no one nearby to ______ my shouts for help.

I ______into my house, called the Fire Department and went back to my neighbour’s house. I rang the doorbell, hit on the door and _____ my neighbour’s name but there was no ______. I managed to _____ the house and rescued a cat and a rabbit.

I tried to throw water through the kitchen window ______ it was no use; the fire was too strong. ______, a fire engine arrived and soon the firemen put out the fire. They arrived just ______ as the fire was going to ______ to the other rooms in the house.

When my neighbor came back, he was ______ because his kitchen was burnt down, but he thanked me for calling the Fire Department and for saving his ______. He wanted to give me some money in return but I did not ______ it.

Weeks later, my neighbor repaired and restored his kitchen. He ______ me to see his new kitchen and there he gave me a medal(奖章) that he had ______ ordered from a factory. It made me feel very happy.

1.

A．sitting room

B．bathroom

C．kitchen

D．bedroom

2.

A．chair

B．table

C．bed

D．sofa

3.

A．valuable

B．hot

C．special

D．burning

4.

A．After a while

B．All the time

C．Once in a while

D．At once

5.

A．examine

B．search

C．reserve

D．smell

6.

A．said

B．shouted

C．received

D．whispered

7.

A．hear

B．listen to

C．ask

D．turn to

8.

A．walked

B．rushed

C．jumped

D．stepped

9.

A．called in

B．called up

C．called out

D．called for

10.

A．answer

B．light

C．sound

D．fire

11.

A．take out

B．take up

C．break down

D．break into

12.

A．and

B．but

C．because

D．therefore

13.

A．Luckily

B．Sadly

C．Unfortunately

D．Suddenly

14.

A．in time

B．on time

C．at a time

D．at times

15.

A．run

B．spread

C．flow

D．return

16.

A．amazing

B．sad

C．sick

D．angry

17.

A．children

B．parents

C．life

D．pets

18.

A．expect

B．want

C．accept

D．permit

19.

A．persuaded

B．begged

C．admitted

D．invited

20.

A．gradually

B．particularly

C．specially

D．regularly

9 . 阅读短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

During the years working in Peacekeeping Force(维和部队), I was sent abroad. As a senior analyst, my workdays were routinely twelve to sixteen hours long. Like all the old soldiers, we looked forward to receiving mails from home.

We soldiers received many “To any service member” mails from the States. Those mails were sent by the general public in our mother country to soldiers far away from home, as an expression of support. I never took any of those letters, since I wrote to my wife on a daily basis, as well as occasionally writing notes to my daughter Jenny’s classroom, and I didn’t feel I had time to write to anyone else.

After five or fix months of hearing from the mail—announcing the availability of “To any service member” mail, I decided to take a few of the letters. Because I planned, as time permitted, to drop them a line telling them “Thanks” for their support.

I picked up three letters, and placed them in my cargo pocket and went back to work. Over the next week or so, I started responding to the letters. When it came time to answer the third letter, I noticed it had no return address, but a California postmark, which made me think of home. I had missed spending Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s with my family. Homesickness seized me.

I opened the card and started to read the letter attached, which was a short one. About the third or fourth sentence down, it read, “My daddy is a soldier over there, if you see him tell him hi and I love and miss him.” This statement really touched me and made me miss my family even more. Looking down to the name of the sender, I sat in silence as tears filled my eyes.

1. Who will usually write “To any service member” mails? (No more than 8 words)
2. Why did the author decide to answer some “To any service member” mails later? (No more than 10 words)
3. What set the author missing his own family? (No more than 5 words)
4. How do you understand the underlined sentence in Paragraph4? (No more than 6 words)
5. At the end of the story, why did the writer sit in silence and cry? Please explain. (No more than 20 words)

10 . 选编（十九）

A Strange Greeting, a True Feeling

Last week I was invited to a doctor’s meeting at the Ruth hospital for incurables. In one of the wards a patient, an old man, got up shakily from his bed and moved towards me. I could see that he hadn't long to_______, but he came up to me and placed his right foot close mine on the floor.

“Frank!” I cried in astonishment. He couldn’t_______, as I knew, but all the time_______his foot against mine.

My_______raced back more than thirty years to the_______days of 1941, when I was a student in London. The_______was an air-raid shelter, in which I and about hundred other people slept every night. Two of the regulars were Mrs. West and her son Frank.

_______wartime problems, we shelter-dwellers got to_______each other very well. Frank West_______me because he wasn’t__________, not even at birth. His mother told me he was 37 then, but he had ________of a mind than a baby has. His “________” consisted of rough sounds——sounds of pleasure or anger and________more. Mrs. West, then about 75, was a strong, capable woman, as she had to be, of course, because Frank________on her entirely. He needed all the________of a baby.

One night a policeman came and told Mrs. West that her house had been flattened by a 500-pounder. She________nearly everything she owned.

When that sort of thing happened, the rest of us helped the________ones. So before we________that morning, I stood beside Frank and________my right foot against his. They were about the same size. That night, then, I took a pair of shoes to the shelter for Frank. But as soon as he saw me he came running and placed his right foot against mine. After that, his________to me was always the same.

1.

A．work

B．stay

C．live

D．expect

2.

A．answer

B．speak

C．smile

D．laugh

3.

A．covering

B．moving

C．fighting

D．pressing

4.

A．minds

B．memories

C．thoughts

D．brains

5.

A．better

B．dark

C．younger

D．old

6.

A．cave

B．place

C．sight

D．scene

7.

A．Discussing

B．Solving

C．Sharing

D．Suffering

8.

A．learn from

B．talk to

C．help

D．know

9.

A．needed

B．recognized

C．interested

D．encouraged

10.

A．normal

B．common

C．unusual

D．quick

11.

A．more

B．worse

C．fewer

D．less

12.

A．word

B．speech

C．sentence

D．language

13.

A．not

B．no

C．something

D．nothing

14.

A．fed

B．kept

C．lived

D．depended

15.

A．attention

B．control

C．treatment

D．management

16.

A．lost

B．needed

C．destroyed

D．left

17.

A．troublesome

B．unlucky

C．angry

D．unpopular

18.

A．separated

B．went

C．reunited

D．returned

19.

A．pushed

B．tried

C．showed

D．measured

20.

A．nodding

B．greeting

C．meeting

D．acting