1 . I’ve been in an 18-year love-hate relationship with a black walnut tree.
It’s a unique tree. In late September or early October, falling fruits as hard as baseballs threaten the skulls (头骨) of you, your children, your neighbors and those that reside next door to them. Umbrellas in the yard are a must while dining in early August, and as for me, I wear my bike helmet while working in the garden.
The black walnut also releases a chemical substance through its roots as a competitive strategy. It’s poisonous to several common plants. There have been many new plant varieties that I brought home with hopes that maybe the black walnut would accept them, but they failed to flourish.
What does work are native plants that naturally grow in the area. Native plants are important to have around since they provide beneficial pollinators (传粉者) like birds, bees and butterflies with seeds and contribute to a healthy and biodiverse environment. Native plants for this area are generally easy to grow, so they experience less stress.
Have I thought of getting rid of this giant pain in my tiny backyard? Yes, however, getting rid of this tree standing at 50 feet with an 87-inch trunk is next to impossible. It’s also protected under the law. Rightfully so. Trees are important to the urban forest and for all of those that inhabit it.
Sometimes I think about my life without the black walnut. I can’t imagine a spring without the birds who arrive every year and loudly sing their songs before dawn. I’d miss falling asleep on lazy weekend afternoons as I look up into its leaves.
Every spring, I wonder what the season holds: What are the chances of being knocked unconscious while barbecuing? Like any good relationship, I’ll never be pleased. I’m stuck with this tree, so I’ll listen to its needs and give it the space it requires. In return, my walnut offers a habitat for wildlife and a reminder.
1. Why does the author wear a bike helmet while working in the garden?| A．To protect the injured skull. | B．To prevent herself from sunburn. |
| C．To avoid being hit by the nuts. | D．To reduce the chance of getting bitten by bees. |
| A．It attracts beneficial pollinators. |
| B．It lets out poison to drive away pests. |
| C．It produces a chemical fatal to some plants. |
| D．It competes for nutrition with similar species. |
| A．The volume of its fruits may bring inconvenience. |
| B．The tree outcompetes the native plants in the garden. |
| C．The tree is home to numerous birds and other creatures. |
| D．The presence of the tree takes up much space of the garden. |
| A．it’s better to give than to take |
| B．trees and plants have their own ways to flourish |
| C．even a good relationship is not always trouble-free |
| D．acceptance, instead of resistance, is the better way to be |
2 . Zachariah Fike has an unusual hobby. He finds old military(军队的) medals for sale in antique stores and on the Internet. But unlike most collectors, Zac tracks down the medals’ rightful owners, and returns them.
His effort to reunite families with lost medals began with a Christmas gift from his mother, a Purple Heart with the name Corrado A. G. Piccoli, found in an antique shop. Zac knows the meaning of a Purple Heart—he earned one himself in a war as a soldier. So when his mother gave him the medal, he knew right away what he had to do.
Through the Internet, Zac tracked down Corrado’s sister Adeline Rockko. But when he finally reached her, the woman flooded him with questions: “Who are you? What antique shop?” However, when she hung up, she regretted the way she had handled the call. So she called Zac back and apologized. Soon she drove to meet Zac in Watertown, N.Y. “At that point, I knew she meant business,” Zac says. “To drive eight hours to come to see me.”
The Piccolis grew up the children of Italian immigrants in Watertown. Corrado, a translator for the Army during WWII, was killed in action in Europe.
Before hearing from Zac, Adeline hadn’t realized the medal was missing. Like many military medals, the one Zac’s mother had found was a family treasure. “This medal was very precious to my parents. Only on special occasions(场合) would they take it out and let us hold it in our hands,” Adeline says.
As a child, Adeline couldn’t understand why the medal was so significant. “But as I grew older,” Adeline says, “and missed my brother more and more, I realized that was the only thing we had left.” Corrado Piccoli’s Purple Heart medal now hangs at the Italian American Civic Association in Watertown.
Zac recently returned another lost medal to a family in Alabama. Since he first reunited Corrado’s medal, Zac says his record is now 5 for 5.
1. Where did Zac get a Purple Heart medal for himself？| A．In the army. |
| B．In an antique shop. |
| C．From his mother. |
| D．From Adeline Rockko. |
| A．She was very impolite. |
| B．She was serious about the medal. |
| C．She suspected his honesty. |
| D．She came from a wealthy family. |
| A．Her parents’ advice. |
| B．Her knowledge of antiques. |
| C．Her childhood dream. |
| D．Her memory of her brother. |
3 . Peterson Moturi journeyed to Nairobi, Kenya in 2014 to find a better life for himself. Initially, he would sell drinking water and groundnuts, as well as working as a car wash attendant before becoming a watchman for night duties. Since his goal was to join law school, he saved Kes 50, 000, which he used to pay for his admission to law school.
He applied for admission to the Kenya School of Law (KSL) in 2016 and was successful, but the biggest headache facing him was that he didn’t have enough money to pay his fees. Fortunately, he got some financial assistance from Mr. PLO Lumumba, who was then the school director and offered him a scholarship.
However, Moturi was then faced with the challenging task of working at night and attending class during the day. Unfortunately, when he sat for his final exams, he got a Pass, which could not allow him to move to the next stage, attaining a law degree. That meant he had to score at least a credit and find money to pay for his diploma courses. He decided to approach his employer, Radar Security, for help. He honestly told his boss that he failed and wondered if he could sponsor him for the diploma once again. To his surprise, his boss agreed, and in no time, he was back in class.
“Now I am a joyful man. I am graduating with a credit score. I can now go ahead, pursue a law degree and become an advocate,” he said at the graduation ceremony. Though dressed in the usual graduation regalia (礼服), Moturi somehow appeared different from his colleagues due to the security guard uiform he wore underneath. The 28-year-old man desires to help the less fortunate in society have access to justice.
1. What bothered Moturi most after he gained admission to the KSL?| A．Losing his day job. | B．Lacking school fees. |
| C．Feeding his family. | D．Failing in his final exams. |
| A．To enable his boss to sponsor him. |
| B．To succeed in obtaining the scholarship. |
| C．To graduate from the KSL ahead of time. |
| D．To qualify for admission for a law degree. |
| A．By selling daily articles. | B．By offering car washing service. |
| C．By serving as a night watchman. | D．By asking his family for financial help. |
| A．Determined. | B．Modest. | C．Imaginative. | D．Generous. |
4 . Whenever I ask to go to the movies, my mom’s first response is always “No!” When I want to go dancing, she adds a firm “No! No! No!” for emphasis. She claims she is only trying to protect me from what she calls “bad elements”.
On a sunny day, Mom rejected my request to go to West Indian Day Parade and insisted I accompany her as she worked cleaning a large house. I followed her to a grand dining room, watching her apply lemon-scented polish to the furniture. I imagined my friends dressing up in fancy costumes, enjoying the celebratory time at the parade. I glared at my mother, hoping she could feel the anger I was directing her way.
But as I watched, my emotions began to change. I noticed how tenderly she rubbed her dusting cloth along a large piano in the corner. “Is this like your piano in Guyana, Mom?” I asked. “Yes. This baby grand piano is exactly like the one my Dad bought me when I was your age.” Her sigh was full of longing.
I knew that my mother had been a talented pianist. I vaguely recalled dancing under the piano when she practiced for hours every day. Now she could barely play for our church choir because her fingers were gnarled from so many days spent cleaning other people’s homes.
“Stop!” Mrs. Smithers, the homeowner, yelled, “That’s a very valuable instrument!”
“I am well aware of that.” she said slowly, “I play for my church.”
“But that’s not a church-music piano. We play classical music on that piano.”
I watched as my mother’s eyes narrowed and her face tightened. I felt the same tightening in my chest.
“You don’t know anything about us … or pianos!” I screamed. Immediately I worried I had done something wrong, but I also felt the tightening in my chest loosened.
I waited for my mother to blame me, but instead she glanced my way, smiling proudly. “That’s all I have time for today. My daughter and I are going to the parade. Come on, love.”
“But Veronica, you will return next week, right?”
“No!” said my mother, “No! No! No!”
1. The underlined word “gnarled” in paragraph 4 probably means ______.| A．rough and twisted | B．clean and swift |
| C．painful but sensitive | D．bent but flexible |
| A．She regretted being a cleaning woman. |
| B．She quit her hobby to support the family. |
| C．She refused the daughter’s request due to the tight budget. |
| D．She wished her daughter to become a well-respected pianist. |
| A．From critical to ashamed. | B．From fearful to respectful. |
| C．From pitiful to understanding. | D．From angry to sympathetic. |
| A．Don’t look down upon those inferior to you. |
| B．Reaching out for those in trouble can be rewarding. |
| C．Understanding others’ experiences helps identify with them. |
| D．Don’t abandon your idea even if one shows strong disagreement. |
5 . Last Friday, after doing all the family shopping in the town. I wanted to have a rest before catching the rain. I
When I came back with the coffee, there was someone
Naturally, I was rather uneasy about him, but I didn’t want to have any
The boy gave me a strange look, then
| A．stole | B．bought | C．sold | D．wrote |
| A．went | B．sat | C．seated | D．looked |
| A．sit | B．seat | C．lie | D．laugh |
| A．pushed | B．took | C．put | D．pulled |
| A．jumping | B．playing | C．sitting | D．sleeping |
| A．He | B．It | C．Who | D．What |
| A．cut | B．washed | C．covered | D．colored |
| A．coffee | B．trouble | C．chocolate | D．matter |
| A．carelessness | B．anger | C．surprise | D．happiness |
| A．first | B．second | C．very | D．last |
| A．stood | B．took | C．cried | D．looked |
| A．strange | B．wrong | C．OK | D．funny |
| A．and | B．but | C．so | D．while |
| A．spelt | B．corrected | C．made | D．found |
| A．finish | B．leave | C．jump | D．shop |
6 . The bus screamed to a stop in Nazareth, Israel. Five Australian backpackers boarded and struck up a conversation with me. They asked typical travelers’ questions—where was I going and why was I traveling alone? My plan was to travel with a friend of a friend, I explained, but when I called her that morning, she didn’t pick up and I had no other way to reach her. My stomach was in knots, but I decided to head out anyway, thinking I might run into her if I traveled to Tiberius, where we had planned to go together.
“Why don’t you travel with us?” one of the backpackers offered. They were experienced adventurers who would work for a few months, save, then travel for as long as they could. Their current plan was to explore the Middle East and Europe in three months while working in London.
It seemed risky to travel with strangers, but my instinct said yes. For the next two weeks, I explored Israel with the backpackers and learned to trust my instincts in all types of new and interesting situations. When they hook a ride, I took the bus, but when they wanted to steal into the King David Hotel’s swimming pool, I led the way. The world opened up to me because I chose to travel alone. I joined complete strangers, who become close friends. Years later, one couple from the backpacking group even flew from Sydney to Phoenix to be in my wedding. The trip was such a special experience that it gave me confidence in all areas of my life. Since then, I’ve backpacked alone across South Africa, sky-dived from 12,000 feet in New Zealand and even moved across the U.S. with no job lined up.
On my third day wandering in Israel with my new friends, I bumped into the woman I was supposed to meet. Though I was happy she was all right, I was grateful she hadn’t picked up the phone.
1. By “My stomach was in knots” (in paragraph 1), the author most likely means that she was ______.| A．sick of riding on a bumpy bus | B．nervous of meeting strangers |
| C．upset about the sudden change | D．sorry about the impractical plan |
| A．Courageous but disrespectful. | B．Jobless and poorly educated. |
| C．Warmhearted and trustworthy. | D．Homeless but lighthearted. |
| A．she would get along with the backpackers | B．it might cause trouble to have a swim |
| C．she ought to stay away from the backpackers | D．it could add excitement to get a free ride |
| A．Most of the backpackers became the author’s lifelong friends. |
| B．The author gathered the courage to be a fulltime backpack traveler. |
| C．The woman missed the phone call with the purpose of traveling alone. |
| D．The author considered it the best decision of her life to travel on her own. |
7 . A call came into Jimmy Gilles’s bar this past March. A newly married woman who had spent the afternoon at the dive beach bar in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina couldn’t find her wallet. She didn’t care about her ID, credit cards, or $150— but her wedding ring was inside it.
Gilles, 42, the boss of the bar, didn’t like the idea that there was a thief at his place. So he set out to find the wallet. He spent hours looking for the footage from 16 different cameras, watching the woman’s every step in the bar until she went to sit on a bench outside and left when her ride arrived. Within minutes, a young man in a hoodie approached the bench, put something in his pocket in a hurry, and walked off.
Gilles posted the picture on the bar’s Facebook and asked if anybody knew who the guy was. Within hours, 17-year-old Rivers Prather came and said he had taken the wallet and told Gilles he’d done it because he hadn’t eaten for two days. He said he saw the ring but thought it was fake, so he took the money, and threw the wallet off the public docks into the ocean. Then he bought a sandwich.
Gilles, unsure whether he should believe Prather, told the teen to meet him at the docks. There Prather revealed that he wasn’t getting along with his family and lived in the woods for weeks. Gilles looked at Prather—his small stature, his ruddy cheeks—and saw him for what he was: more of a kid than a thief.
But the police were already on the case, and because of the missing ring, Prather could be facing severe charges. Gilles wanted to help him somehow.
Gilles recruited two local divers to search the waters where Prather had thrown the wallet. A crowd gathered to watch the two divers search in the strong current. More than an hour passed, with no sign of the ring. Gilles grew worried. Each passing minute increased the chances that the police would arrest the young man.
And then a diver came out from the water with the wallet in his hand, and inside was the ring. Cheers erupted from the spectators. When Gilles called the wallet’s owner, she burst into tears. She promptly dropped the felony charges against Prather for stealing the ring.
But it wasn’t over for Gilles. He’d been troubled about Prather sleeping in the cold woods. He told the teen he could stay with his family until the boy got on his feet again. He also gave the kid a job at his bar. “Most people would give the footage to police, but the boss chose to help me,” Prather told CBS News. “I say thank you to him every day.”
1. Why didn’t Prather take away the ring in the wallet?| A．Because he thought the ring was not genuine and worthless. |
| B．Because he was too anxious about the money to find the ring. |
| C．Because he knew nobody would be interested in buying the ring. |
| D．Because he knew he would be charged severely if he took the ring. |
| A．He has been a thief ever since he left his family. |
| B．He was still a kid although he looked tall and strong. |
| C．His family didn’t get along with him and give him nothing to eat. |
| D．He left his family and was very hungry before he committed the theft. |
| A．Because he had to pay for it as it was stolen at his bar. |
| B．Because the police were very likely to arrest Prather. |
| C．Because it would disappoint the crowd gathering around. |
| D．Because it was a wedding ring and very important to the woman. |
| A．Careful and creative. | B．Reasonable but cruel. |
| C．Caring and merciful. | D．Brave but heartless. |
8 . Traveling through time
As children, we dream of growing older; when we are older, we dream of being children. We let our lives pass us by because we have yet to learn that the harder you yearn for time, the faster it passes. This is how my story begins.
In October of my freshman year, I took an accidental trip down memory lane. One day after school, I decided to take the long way home, I needed time to think. So off I went, walking through the grass. That was how I came to find a gap in the fence lining the school property. I passed through this gap and followed the treeline until I found myself in the far fields behind the neighborhood.
Suddenly, I remembered it was here through the fence between the school and the fields that I watched older kids having their high school graduation ceremony. In cap and gown (长袍), they stood in the middle of the field. They looked like they were having the most fun I had ever seen anyone have; they looked free.
Years later, I walked through that field on my way home from that same high school. The soccer nets were long gone, and the paint lines had washed away with the rain, but there it was, just as I remembered it. The old field felt like a moment trapped in time, a long-forgotten memory. Here I was, standing in between my past and my present and trying so hard to figure out just how all of those years had passed me by so quickly. The gap in the fence seemed like a distinct line between my years. A doorway between 5 and 15.
I’ve since given this place a name, Tempus Illud, a place between places. I try to take the long way home at least once a month now. Sometimes, when I cross that bridge, I see that younger version of myself. She is so young and so desperate to speed up time. I see her peering through the fence at those graduates in the cap and gown, and she’s wishing she could be just like them. She, too, could feel so free that she might just grow wings and fly away. Now I’m preparing to wear the cap and gown in a few short months. But this time, I wish to leave time to its own devices.
The harder you yearn for time, the faster it passes you by. So I no longer yearn. The passage of time is inevitable, and you can’t avoid it, but you can appreciate it. James Taylor sings, “The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time… Nobody knows how we got to the top of the hill, but since we’re on our way down, we might as well enjoy the ride.”
1. How did the author feel when she saw the older kids’ graduation ceremony?| A．Jealous. | B．Curious. |
| C．Admiring. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．It honors her best childhood memory. |
| B．It bridges her past, present and future. |
| C．It shows the miracle of frozen time. |
| D．It symbolizes high school graduation. |
| A．Keep calm, and carry on. | B．Whatever will be, will be. |
| C．Seize the day. | D．The best is yet to come. |
| A．To suggest that time brings the truth to light. |
| B．To show that tough times never last. |
| C．To explain how time changes everything. |
| D．To share her changing attitude toward time. |
9 . Derek and Shirley walked out of the airport building and into the bright sunshine. Looking up at the brilliant blue sky and then at the faraway mountains rising above the swaying palm trees, they couldn’t wait to start their holiday.
A taxi pulled up swiftly and silently. Derek dropped their suitcases into the boot and joined Shirley in the back seat. “Palm Trees Hotel, please,” Derek said excitedly. “Certainly, sir,” replied the driver, as he turned around with a flashing white smile. Derek and Shirley gave each other a puzzled look as the taxi eased smoothly into the traffic. “Excuse me, er, your face seems very familiar—in fact, you remind us of that famous film star, Rocky Overton... but of course, you can’t be.”
Derek and Shirley sat in silent disbelief as the driver explained that he was not a real person, but a robot made to look like a famous actor. “Rocky” explained that the taxi company had purchased the latest model of robot drivers since they were programmed to be safer and more reliable than human drivers. “So, here I am,” “Rocky” continued, “your first robot taxi driver!”
Derek and Shirley held each other’s hands more lightly. “Relax,” “Rocky” reassured them, “there is nothing for you to worry about. I can assure you that my driving skills are excellent. I’m equipped with perfect vision and superior reactions, and I know every street in the city. I am instantly updated with the latest traffic information so that I can avoid traffic jams and get you to your destination in the quickest and least stressful manner. Please sit back, relax and enjoy the journey.”
Derek and Shirley, feeling a little better, leaned back in their seats and closed their eyes. “And another thing,” “Rocky” added, “my line of robots represents the ultimate (最高典范) in computer technology. I am beautifully designed, made from only the best materials and subject to the strictest quality checks. Therefore, you are entirely safe with me. Nothing could possibly go wrong... could possibly go wrong, wrong… go wrong…”
1. Why did Derek and Shirley feel puzzled when they got into the taxi?| A．Because the driver was a robot. |
| B．Because the driver was Rocky Overton. |
| C．Because the driver gave them a big smile. |
| D．Because the driver looked like a famous actor. |
| A．It has the perfect vision and superior reactions. |
| B．It is the first robot taxi driver in the world. |
| C．It is instantly updated with the latest news. |
| D．It has never get stuck in traffic jams. |
| A．Threatened. | B．Persuaded. | C．Surprised. | D．Comforted. |
| A．Robot drivers are perfectly designed. |
| B．Robot drivers are able to repeat the words. |
| C．Robot drivers are not so reliable as expected. |
| D．Robot drivers are not safer than human drivers. |
10 . MY GARDEN IS MY REFUGE; I find reflective isolation in it. I have seven children, so our house is a scene of lively confusion. For a long time, I guarded this place of peace and quiet. When the children followed me into the garden, I would hand out chores. “Here: you weed the beans, you water the onions.” Soon they would be hot or their backs would hurt from bending over, and they would leave me to myself.
Then one day, I was trying to prepare the soil, and I honestly wasn’t enjoying my time of peace and loneliness. My 13-year-old son, Josiah, picked up a spare spade and began helping. Working as a team, we had the pea patch dug up and fertilized in no time at all. I thanked Josiah, realizing that l had enjoyed his company.
The same thing happened with picking up rocks and planting the seeds —one or two of the children would appear to watch and then participate. Each time, I would feel surprised to find the work was lighter for their help, and their laughter made time pass faster. So I stopped resenting their company and instead I began to share my gardening secrets. As spring became summer and the real work began, I expected the children to disappear, but no, there they were, watering, pulling weeds and checking for insects.
One day I slipped out by myself to the garden, feeling a little bit guilty. I had a suspicion that the sugar snap peas were ripe, and I wanted a taste. As I walked along the row, a little voice piped up behind me. “What are you eating, Mama?”
Abby’s big blue eyes sparkled as I showed her how to pull the strings off and pop (剥出) the peas into her mouth. She just loved how tasty they were. Then my sweet seven-year-old girl put me to shame. “Mama, I’ve got to pick a bunch. Won’t the others love them? I can’t wait to share.”
I realized how selfish I had been. I’d tried to keep the joys of gardening to myself, and here was a child who couldn’t wait to share with her brothers and sisters. I held back tears and said, “Sure, honey, let’s pick some and I’ll show you how to prepare them. We’ll make the most wonderful supper.”
1. Why did the writer ask her children to do chores whenever they were in the garden?| A．She didn’t want to do all the work on her own. |
| B．She intended to show the hard labor of gardening. |
| C．She didn’t want them to get hurt or get too tired. |
| D．She was determined to keep the garden to herself. |
① loud ② lively ③ guilty ④ loving ⑤ strong
| A．①②③④ | B．①②④ | C．①②③ | D．④⑤ |
| A．dislike | B．expect | C．keep | D．sacrifice |
| A．The best way to communicate with children is by working together. |
| B．The golden rule of gardening is that many hands make light work. |
| C．Everything feels better when shared with your family or your friend. |
| D．Parents should spend as much time with their children as possible. |
