4 . 阅读下面短文,并根据题目要求用英语回答问题(请注意问题后的字数要求)。

“Mom, look at this LEGO Star Wars set,” my eight-year-old son Nathan said. “Can I get it for my birthday?” I looked at the LEGO set in question.

“Nathan, this isn’t just a regular LEGO set. It’s an Advent calendar(降临历).” Seeing his questioning look, I explained, “An Advent calendar counts down the days until Christmas. Starting on December 1st, you open one box each day, and each box contains one small LEGO toy.”

“I want this really badly, Mom. Can I get it for my birthday?”

“Yes, but here’s the problem with that. It’s August right now, and your birthday is in September. If we bought this for your birthday, you couldn’t start opening the toys until December 1st. That would be a long time for you before playing with a new toy. Are you sure you want it?” He thought for a minute and said, “Yes, Mom, I really want that Advent calendar.” So we bought the calendar.

On Nathan’s birthday in mid-September, he received many presents, including the Advent calendar. He seemed as surprised and pleased with it as he did with other gifts that were actually a surprise. And then he started to open it.

“Remember that’s an Advent calendar. So we can’t open it yet.” His shoulders slumped(垂下来). “Oh, yeah, that’s right,” he said unwillingly.

We put the box in his closet. I hoped he’d forget about it, but that was wishful thinking.

“How many more days should I wait until I can start opening the toys in the calendar?” he asked the day after his birthday. I gave him a pocket calendar, and we counted how many days there were until December 1st.

After waiting for so long, it was December 1st finally. Nathan’s hands were practically shaking as he opened that first box. “I’m so glad I waited, Mom,” he told me.

People say that Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year. I know these complaints are about the over-commercialization of the holiday, and I see their point. But this year, Christmas came to our house very early, and it was so much fun.

1. What is an Advent calendar used to do? (no more than 10 words)
________________
2. Why was the author unwilling to buy the Advent calendar for Nathan at first? (no more than 12 words)
________________
3. How can we understand the underlined sentence in Paragraph 7? (no more than 8 words)
________________
4. Why do people say Christmas starts earlier and earlier? (no more than 10 words)
________________
5. What do you think of Nathan’s birthday present? Why? (no more than 20 words)
________________

5 . On a beautiful Wednesday morning, I awoke in a shared room in the hospital. Long curtains had been pulled around my bed, ________ me from the other patients. I had broken my right leg the night before. It was still summer, but mine was ________.

On the other side of my bed curtain, I heard a patient cheerfully ________ every nurse as they entered the room, as if welcoming each into his home. He called them by name and asked ________ about their families. I never heard this man whisper a word about his own ________.

That night I wept (哭泣). I thought about how my schoolwork would be ________ and all the things I could, temporarily, no longer do.

I awoke early the next morning, ________ of the uncertain days ahead. The ________ of the room was soon broken by a quiet voice from behind the curtain. “Good morning,” the voice said calmly, clearly ________ at me. “Are you doing okay?”

The man must have heard my ________ the night before. Hesitantly, I responded. From there he drew me into a(n) ________. We talked endlessly through the curtain to pass the time, without seeing each other. Every day he would greet me with cheer, “Good morning, Caroline. You are going to ________ this.”

This stranger became my cheerleader, as if it was his mission to lift me up from my ________. He ________ me to find the best in all difficult circumstances. Life is not always easy, he would say, but you have to ________ and look for the positive.

Days later when the curtain was drawn, I saw this ________ old man for the first time. ________ his own ill health, he continued to coach me from his hospital bed in the days that followed.

My discharge papers (出院证明) were finally signed and I waited ________ to get home. As I was wheeled out of the room, I said my final goodbye to the old man.

I often think of my exceptional roommate and of what a(n) ________ he was to me. The impact he made during those difficult days in hospital still ________.

Thank you for being my ray of sunshine!

1.

A．driving

B．separating

C．taking

D．rescuing

2.

A．next

B．back

C．over

D．here

3.

A．comforting

B．assisting

C．praising

D．greeting

4.

A．sincerely

B．hopefully

C．thankfully

D．confidently

5.

A．attitude

B．pain

C．threat

D．effort

6.

A．ignored

B．understood

C．recommended

D．affected

7.

A．ashamed

B．fond

C．scared

D．proud

8.

A．silence

B．agreement

C．connection

D．limit

9.

A．nodded

B．directed

C．laughed

D．recorded

10.

A．cheer

B．appeal

C．cry

D．comment

11.

A．conflict

B．adventure

C．operation

D．conversation

12.

A．get through

B．come across

C．care for

D．focus on

13.

A．astonishment

B．craziness

C．sadness

D．embarrassment

14.

A．promised

B．ordered

C．permitted

D．encouraged

15.

A．get away

B．carry on

C．check out

D．make up

16.

A．strict

B．ambitious

C．optimistic

D．honest

17.

A．Despite

B．Beyond

C．Besides

D．Until

18.

A．doubtfully

B．curiously

C．eagerly

D．politely

19.

A．opportunity

B．gift

C．dream

D．choice

20.

A．differs

B．spreads

C．occurs

D．stays

7 . On my way back home, I waited at the crosswalk for the traffic light to change colours. A man dressed in a UCLA shirt stood next to me. We exchanged friendly smiles. His friend came by and commented that he was excited that it was Friday. The man replied that he had to work on the weekend. He shared, “I have two little kids at home. I am thankful for any work that I can get. ”

I smiled, as the man's words made me happy in a dark week of midterm exams and job interviews. As we made our way across the street, he told me he had been shot and had seven surgeries in the past couple of years. He called getting better a “vacation” because in that kind of situation, that was the only way he could deal with what had happened.

At the end of the crosswalk, before we left each other, he said, “Through life's terrible moments, you find life's greatest gifts.” I took a left. He and his friend took a right to the parking lot. I looked back at him, thankful that our short conversation had made my day. He looked at my way. We exchanged nods and smiles, the same exchange we first made when we stood by the crosswalk moments ago.

Though we never shared names, I will forever remember his story and his inspiring life. When people ask me what I love most about my university, I tell them about the creative professors and excited students. UCLA supports its students to follow their dreams, whatever that path may be. As a college senior, I am incredibly grateful for my college experience.

What I remember most about my university life are memories of smiles and life lessons. There was that night when a group of us watched the waves and waited for the sunrise, the time my professor and I discussed equal rights, the class in which my group members and I danced to our textbook reading. These are life stories that make me smile and teach me lessons.

You never know who may inspire you next. It may be the person standing next to you at the crosswalk or the student sitting next to you in class. Simple life stories and beautiful exchanges come with just a nod, a smile, and a crosswalk. You never know what you can learn from them, from courage to positive attitudes towards life.

1. What can be learned about the author according to the text?

A．The author was troubled by midterm exams and job interviews.

B．The author and the man are familiar with each other.

C．The author is married and has two children to raise.

D．The author was wearing a UCLA shirt and met a friend.

2. What happened when the man and the author went across the street?

A．They exchanged their names and phone numbers.

B．They shared opinions about studying and job hunting.

C．The man told the author about his past experience.

D．The man headed to the parking lot without looking back.

3. Why did the man call getting better a “vacation”?

A．He really wanted to take a rest at that time.

B．He was thankful that he was getting better.

C．He could do nothing but await recovery from his injury.

D．He enjoyed the time when he didn't need to deal with exams.

4. Which of the following adjectives best describe the man?

A．Serious and hardworking.	B．Friendly and optimistic.
C．Honest and happy.	D．Talented and confident.

5. What lesson can be learned from the text?

A．Every moment of your life counts.	B．Do not ignore the people around you.
C．Good manners bring about happiness.	D．Inspiring memories can be made at any time.

8 .        No one had called me Melissa in months. _________ my name was something I took for granted (认为……是理所当然) before the COVID-19 pandemic (流行病). But now I wasn’t _________   time with the people who know me as Melissa. I had been at home with my two children for months.

Something happened when I_________ hearing my name, though. It became a whole other type of isolation (隔离). Before I became Mama, I was Melissa. “We loved the name, and there were no other Melissas. It was special,” my mom said. Then I_________kindergarten, and there were three Melissas in my class. From that moment until the start of middle school, I was Melissa S.

Even though I didn’t love adding a _________ to my name in school, I never really had a(n)_________with my name. I never thought about changing my name. Even as a grown-up, I have never thought a different name would_________ me better. I am Melissa, and my name is a big part of my identity (身份). Except during the pandemic, when a big part of myself went_________. After a few months at home, I decided to do something just for me. I_________for a writing class that I’d wanted to take for a long time. Before COVID-19, I couldn’t get to the class because of ____________concerns. But now that the course was being offered online, I was so excited I could finally take it while looking after my boys.

On the first day, the teacher began class by ____________us all by name and introducing our first ____________. “I want you to start by writing ‘Right now, I am,’ and then continue with whatever ____________ that,” she said.

Ten minutes later, she asked us to begin ____________“Melissa, we’ll start with you,” my teacher said.

“Right now, I am happy,” I started to read. “I’m happy to be writing, and____________ happy to hear my name.”

1.

A．Hearing

B．Giving

C．Choosing

D．Keeping

2.

A．saving

B．spending

C．fixing

D．wasting

3.

A．enjoyed

B．forgot

C．stopped

D．finished

4.

A．left

B．began

C．picked

D．avoided

5.

A．reason

B．meaning

C．word

D．letter

6.

A．idea

B．plan

C．connection

D．problem

7.

A．serve

B．help

C．fit

D．know

8.

A．wrong

B．missing

C．nervous

D．crazy

9.

A．got up

B．stood up

C．made up

D．signed up

10.

A．safety

B．childcare

C．health

D．business

11.

A．teaching

B．surprising

C．questioning

D．calling

12.

A．task

B．meeting

C．student

D．answer

13.

A．proves

B．develops

C．follows

D．joins

14.

A．preparing

B．sharing

C．exercising

D．discussing

15.

A．especially

B．usually

C．probably

D．generally

9 . 阅读表达

It was a dark and stormy night. The ferocious wind shook the windows wildly, as though someone outside were beating on the glass. It was also New Year’s Eve. We were having our annual party and had a house full of people just starting to celebrate.

Suddenly, we heard loud explosions. Looking outside and up into the hills, we saw sparks(火花) flying from electrical transformers(变压器). One area after another went dark up in those hills. Then there was the loudest explosion of them all and our house went dark too. I tried to find every candle we had and lit them. The candles made everything look lovely. But we had problems. We had fifteen people standing around and we still had to cook dinner. How would we do that without electricity?

The barbecue! Why not cook on the barbecue? We men went outside, some holding flashlights and others cooking. We did a wonderful job. The women stayed inside and got the salads ready. Everything was delicious. There were still a few hours to go before the beginning of the new year, so we all sat around the dining room table and sang up until a few minutes before midnight. We couldn’t watch the ball drop in Times Square on television but that wouldn’t stop us from celebrating. I stood on a chair and, with the help of someone’s watch to tell us the time, we all counted down and I dropped a tennis ball! We all screamed Happy New Year. We didn’t need electricity for that!

Nowadays, we still get together with the same group to celebrate the New Year and we still talk about that special night. I don’t think we have ever laughed so much as we did on that New Year’s Eve.

1. What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph 1? (1 word)
____________________________________________________________
2. What made dinner preparation difficult according to Paragraph 2? (no more than 6 words)
____________________________________________________________
3. How did the people celebrate on New Year’s Eve according to the passage? (no more than 10 words)
____________________________________________________________
4. How does the author feel about that particular New Year’s Eve? (no more than 8 words)
____________________________________________________________
5. What do you think is the most necessary quality when dealing with an unexpected difficult situation? Please explain why. (no more than 25words)
____________________________________________________________