1 . A five-­year-­old dog named Kelsey has been praised as a hero for helping to save the life of her owner who slipped in the snow and broke his neck.

The man, Bob, was alone when he left his farmhouse on New Year’s Eve to collect firewood.Expecting a journey of only several meters, Bob was wearing just long johns (衬裤), a shirt and slippers when he went outside, although the temperature was around －4℃.

After the accident, he was unable to move in the snow. Fortunately, Kelsey came to his assistance.

“I was shouting for help, but my nearest neighbor is about 400 meters away, and it was 10:30 p. m.,” Bob explained. “By the next morning, my voice was gone and I couldn’t yell for help, but Kelsey didn’t stop barking.”

Kelsey’s companion kept him warm by lying on top of him. She licked his face and hands to keep him awake. “Kelsey kept barking but never left my side,” Bob recalled. “I knew I couldn’t give up and that it was my choice to stay alive.”

Bob spent 20 hours in the freezing cold. When he finally lost consciousness, his dog kept barking. Finally, hearing the barking, Bob’s neighbor discovered him at 6:30 p. m. on New Year’s Day and called the emergency services at once. When Bob arrived in hospital, his body temperature was below 21℃. However, doctors were surprised to find that he didn’t have any frostbite (冻疮). They believed it was because of Kelsey’s determination to keep him warm. Dr. Chaim Colen, the doctor who treated Bob, said, “His dog really saved him.He was very fortunate.”

Bob said he was very grateful to both Dr. Colen and his Kelsey. “They saved my life. They are truly heroes!”

1. What happened to Bob on New Year’s Eve?

A．He left his dog alone in his farmhouse.

B．He was praised for saving a dog owner.

C．He broke his neck and couldn’t move.

D．He heard his neighbor’s shouting for help.

2. Why did Kelsey keep barking?

A．To keep warm.

B．To stay alive.

C．To keep Bob awake.

D．To seek help from others.

3. How does Dr. Colen feel about Kelsey?

A．Helpful.	B．Fortunate.
C．Grateful.	D．Friendly.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．A Neck­breaking Accident

B．The Magic Night

C．Warmth on a Winter’s Night

D．Determination to Keep Alive

2 . An early morning winter storm had brought several inches of snow to my small town in the mountains. Schools were canceled, roads were dangerous and all I wanted to do was to stay in bed. However, I knew I had to get the day started so I put on warm clothes and walked outside. The snow got all over my shoes. The cold wind dried my lips and my eyes. My 47-year-old back ached in anticipation (预想) of the shoveling (铲雪) I would have to do if the snow didn’t stop soon.

Yet, when I looked out on the white blanket that covered the ground, I couldn’t help but smile a bit. It was so beautiful. It softened the bare trees and hid the dead grass. In the distance I could hear the sound of the snowplow on the road, the barking of a happy dog and the laughter of children playing outside, enjoying their day off from school. The sweet music of that laughter brought back a hundred memories of winters past. I remembered catching snowflakes on my tongue, building snowmen, making snow angels, running down hills and always losing snowball fights with first my brothers and then my own children. Standing there in that warm coat of memories made the wind a little less cold and my back a little less sore. I turned up my head, stuck out my tongue and for the first time in years caught a snowflake on it. It tasted so fresh and clean. It tasted like youth, like joy and like love.

May you always feel young in spirit, no matter how old or achy your body may be. May you always delight in the simple joys of life. May you always share your happiness with the hearts of children. And may you always give your love, your light, your laughter and your warmth to others even on the coldest days.

1. What was the author’s first reaction when he knew it snowed heavily？

A．He felt happy.

B．He was upset.

C．He was moved.

D．He felt in danger.

2. From the underlined sentence in Paragraph l, we can know that the author ________.

A．felt too cold because the snow didn’t stop

B．liked to start his day on such a snowy day

C．ached in his back because of the cold weather

D．would make greater efforts to clear up the snow

3. From which senses did the author describe the joy of having snow？

A．Taste and smell.	B．Sight and smell.
C．Sight, hearing and taste.	D．Smell, hearing and taste.

4. What does the author mainly want to tell us with this article？

A．We should always stay young at heart.

B．Snow brings both fun and trouble to humans.

C．Memories can change our opinion in all aspects.

D．Appreciate every moment spent with your family.

3 . Lowri Moore, aged 15, of Nottingham, England, has worn eyeglasses since she was a baby. But she hasn’t always seen glasses ________ in the cartoons she loves. Lowri is making it her ________ to change that.

When Lowri was 9, she sent a letter to Disney asking them if they could create a(n) ________ role model who wore glasses. Glasses are a great tool because they give you the ability to see. This should be ________ . But kids at school ________ not to think so.

Disney ________ Lowri, and three years later, the movie En-canto came out, whose main character, Maribel, wears glasses! En-canto director Jared Bush said, “She’s my hero. I can’t imagine being that age and being that ________ . She is such an inspiration to all of us.” En-canto is a movie putting people on the screen that ________ to be seen and audiences from all over the world have been able to find themselves, their family members in these stories.

In 2019, Lowri Moore, called for more glasses-wearing ________ . She pointed out that figures wearing glasses are usually ________ as “nerdy instead of beautiful.” Having more positive figures with glasses on will help people feel ________ about wearing their own glasses. It also allows people to see the ________ to add glasses like we already have the ability to change skin and hair color on emojis(表情符号). Natalie Owen, ________ heard of Lowri’s story and decided to help her dream come true. Owen created a princess wearing glasses in his new book just for Lowri.

With her dream ________ , Lowri posted a message on her personal website: If you believe in something, don’t be afraid to say it. Don’t think that because you are young, you can’t make a ________ .

1.

A．reflected

B．designed

C．updated

D．recommended

2.

A．choice

B．power

C．mission

D．mind

3.

A．fancy

B．positive

C．similar

D．ordinary

4.

A．rewarded

B．protected

C．changed

D．celebrated

5.

A．tend

B．mean

C．attempt

D．admit

6.

A．focused on

B．responded to

C．caught up on

D．picked up

7.

A．joyful

B．extraordinary

C．courageous

D．typical

8.

A．remain

B．decide

C．adapt

D．deserve

9.

A．friends

B．princesses

C．teachers

D．animals

10.

A．presented

B．respected

C．measured

D．decorated

11.

A．nervous

B．funny

C．patient

D．comfortable

12.

A．option

B．effort

C．joke

D．purpose

13.

A．incredibly

B．regularly

C．accidentally

D．occasionally

14.

A．seen

B．realized

C．reported

D．identified

15.

A．rule

B．dream

C．promise

D．difference

5 . As an elderly man with dementia (痴呆), Gene MeGehee was finding his golden years to be his loneliest. That all _________ one day when he heard children’s _________ right outside his room.

When Gene _________ outside, he couldn’t believe it — a group of lively young kids were playing. The children were more than _________ to include Gene in their fun. They nicknamed (取绰号) him Big Gene, and a special, long-lasting friendship was _________ between Gene, the kids and Megan, the daycare teacher.

Gene’s _________ disease means he now has only short-term memory. For the last three years, Gene has been _________ kids and Megan but he thinks it to be the first time. “I always tell the kids that his _________ is kind of sick, but his heart remembers us.” Megan said.

Gene’s daughter, Cathy, said he suffered from _________ until the kids came into his life and __________ his days. Every afternoon for an hour, Gene spends time __________ with the children. He sometimes even __________ their games. Even though the day’s good memories __________ as the sun sets, something remains in the depths of Gene’s mind. It is a __________ feeling that makes him go outside as soon as he hears the children’s laughter once again.

What a beautiful way these children and Megan have been spreading love and __________ in Gene’s life!

1.

A．began

B．changed

C．developed

D．happened

2.

A．laughter

B．cry

C．story

D．breath

3.

A．rushed

B．left

C．stepped

D．stayed

4.

A．afraid

B．willing

C．annoyed

D．curious

5.

A．expected

B．paid

C．damaged

D．born

6.

A．secret

B．wild

C．serious

D．simple

7.

A．meeting

B．impressing

C．missing

D．caring

8.

A．leg

B．eye

C．arm

D．brain

9.

A．defeat

B．loneliness

C．punishment

D．hate

10.

A．broke

B．designed

C．brightened

D．explored

11.

A．safely

B．quickly

C．carefully

D．happily

12.

A．breaks in

B．sets up

C．makes up

D．joins in

13.

A．rise

B．disappear

C．move

D．fall

14.

A．common

B．necessary

C．special

D．specific

15.

A．light

B．courage

C．convenience

D．determination

6 . I learned how to accept life as it is from my father.________, he didn’t teach me acceptance when he was strong and healthy, but rather when he was________and ill.

My father was________a strong man who loved being active, but a terrible illness________all that away. Now he can no longer walk, and he must sit quietly in a chair all day, Even talking is________One night, I went to visit him with my sisters. We started________about life, and I told them about one of my________. I said that we must very often give things up________we grow — our health, our beauty, our friends — but it always________that after we give something up, we gain something new in its place. Then suddenly my father________up. He said, ”But, Peter, I gave up________! What did I gain?“ I thought and thought, but I couldn’t think of anything to say.________he answered his own question, “I________the love of my family.” I looked at my sisters and saw tears in their eyes, along with hope and thankfulness.

I was also________by his words. After that, when I began to feel angry at someone, I________remember his words and become________. If he could replace his great pain with a feeling of love for others, then I should be________to give up my small anger. In this________, I learned the power of acceptance from my father.

Sometimes I________what other things I could have learned from him if I had listened more carefully when I was a boy. For now, though, I am grateful for this________.

1.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Afterwards

D．Meanwhile

2.

A．tired

B．slow

C．poor

D．weak

3.

A．already

B．once

C．only

D．still

4.

A．sent

B．threw

C．took

D．put

5.

A．impossible

B．hopeless

C．stressful

D．difficult

6.

A．worrying

B．caring

C．talking

D．asking

7.

A．decisions

B．beliefs

C．strengths

D．imaginations

8.

A．before

B．since

C．as

D．till

9.

A．suggests

B．seems

C．promises

D．requires

10.

A．opened

B．turned

C．broken

D．spoke

11.

A．something

B．anything

C．everything

D．nothing

12.

A．Naturally

B．Surprisingly

C．Truly

D．Certainly

13.

A．had

B．accepted

C．enjoyed

D．gained

14.

A．defended

B．astonished

C．touched

D．warned

15.

A．would

B．could

C．should

D．might

16.

A．quiet

B．relaxed

C．calm

D．happy

17.

A．able

B．likely

C．free

D．ready

18.

A．case

B．way

C．method

D．form

19.

A．doubt

B．mean

C．know

D．wonder

20.

A．award

B．theme

C．gift

D．word

7 . My husband, Russ, and I drove through our neighborhood, the place we’d called home for 28 years. The foothills, once thick with towering pines, were _________. The ground was covered with a heavy layer of ash. The trees that _________ were burnt stumps (树桩).

Two weeks earlier, we’d gotten an early-morning call telling us to _________ immediately. The wildfire burning through Northern California had spread and was headed our way. We’d jumped in the car with our cats and a few belongings. For days, we’d moved from hotel to hotel, _________ for news. What finally came wasn’t _________. Our house had been right in the fire’s path.

Now we’d been allowed to return. Russ and I brought _________, work boots, N95 masks and gloves. We would _________ anything we could. We drove slowly through the ruins, where chimneys marked where homes once stood. I wasn’t prepared for what _________ us. Our house was _________ but broken stones, I wiped away tears as we dug through the ash.

“How will we survive this?” I wondered. “How will we go on?” It felt as if our lives had been destroyed. Later that afternoon Russ __________ what we’d found in the car. “Let’s go,” he said.

I turned to get in the car. That’s when I __________ something stuck to my boot: a bit of paper, dirtied with ash. I picked it up. The words were surprisingly __________, “If life seems difficult, I stop and reflect on the blessing sometimes hidden within every situation. With renewed belief and __________, I begin again.”

Words that must have come from one of my books, a passage I couldn’t recall but now said everything I needed to __________, words that rose from the ashes. I framed (给……做框) that scrap of paper. It now sits in a place of honor in our new home, a reminder that we can __________ again.

1.

A．beautiful

B．strange

C．unrecognizable

D．greenish

2.

A．remained

B．painted

C．left

D．saved

3.

A．enjoy

B．leave

C．help

D．rescue

4.

A．happy

B．eager

C．famous

D．sorry

5.

A．bad

B．good

C．useful

D．impressive

6.

A．shovels

B．books

C．sweaters

D．posters

7.

A．take

B．bring

C．save

D．understand

8.

A．waited

B．helped

C．awarded

D．prevented

9.

A．something

B．anything

C．nothing

D．everything

10.

A．improved

B．enjoyed

C．put

D．exchanged

11.

A．wrote

B．sculpted

C．figured

D．noticed

12.

A．easy

B．sharp

C．helpful

D．clear

13.

A．sadness

B．happiness

C．courage

D．anger

14.

A．say

B．hear

C．sing

D．give

15.

A．stop

B．begin

C．live

D．read

8 . In 1982 Steven Callahan was crossing the Atlantic alone in his sailboat when it struck something and sank. He was out of the shipping lanes and floating in a life raft,________. His supplies were few. His________were small. Yet when three fishermen found him seventy-six days later, he was much skinnier than he was when he_______ , but alive.

The thing that________my eye was how he managed to keep himself going when all hope seemed lost, when there seemed no________in continuing the struggle, when he was suffering greatly, when his lifeboat was broken with a hole and after more than a week struggling with his weak body to_______ it, it was still leaking water. He was________and thoroughly exhausted.________would have seemed the only wise choice.

When people survive these kinds of circumstances, they do something with their________that gives them the courage to keep going. Many people in _______desperate circumstances give in or go mad. Something the survivors do with their thoughts helps them find the________to carry on.

“I tell myself I can________it,” wrote Callahan in his account. “Compared to what others have gone________, I’m fortunate. I tell myself these things over and over,________my determination to keep going.”

I wrote that down after I read it. It________me as something important. And I’ve told myself the same thing when my own goals seemed________off. And every time I say it, I always come back to my________.

So here, coming to us from the extreme edge of________are wards that can give us strength.________you’re going through, tell yourself you can handle it. Tell this to yourself over and over, and it will help you get through the________spots with a little more determination.

1.

A．aloud

B．alone

C．aside

D．aboard

2.

A．fish

B．holes

C．crew

D．chances

3.

A．started

B．arrived

C．rose

D．disappeared

4.

A．covered

B．hurt

C．caught

D．entered

5.

A．sailor

B．companion

C．point

D．opportunity

6.

A．board

B．abandon

C．observe

D．fix

7.

A．starved

B．embarrassed

C．confused

D．satisfied

8.

A．Giving out

B．Giving up

C．Giving away

D．Giving off

9.

A．tools

B．dreams

C．minds

D．hearts

10.

A．similarly

B．physically

C．mentally

D．differently

11.

A．luck

B．direction

C．courage

D．privilege

12.

A．handle

B．delay

C．realize

D．imagine

13.

A．into

B．for

C．against

D．through

14.

A．putting up

B．building up

C．bringing up

D．taking up

15.

A．frightened

B．struck

C．disappointed

D．preserved

16.

A．far

B．low

C．heavy

D．bright

17.

A．status

B．crossroads

C．homes

D．senses

18.

A．experiment

B．hurricane

C．flood

D．survival

19.

A．However

B．Whoever

C．Whatever

D．Whichever

20.

A．smooth

B．rough

C．easy

D．comfortable

9 . Getting out of my car one evening in late January, I met my neighbor Theresa, who had seen me drive in. “Mrs Taylor is in the hospital again,” she said. “I thought you’d like to know.” I had last seen Mrs Taylor a day or two before Christmas when I took her a little loaf of pumpkin bread, and she came from the backroom in her wheelchair to talk with me. Mrs Taylor and I had been neighbors for 17 years. I remember the dog she and her husband used to have. They called him Beau. He greeted everyone who walked by, and Mr Taylor loved him.

Most of my conversations with Mrs Taylor had been incidental — visits by the mailbox, running into one another at the gas station where she helped me put air in my tire, quiet talks at the funeral home where we went to honor the memory of a mutual (相互的) friend.

When my husband and I moved here with our four noisy, laughing kids, it must have seemed as if the peaceful quiet of the neighborhood had been forever broken. But we showed our enthusiasm to the neighbors sincerely although we had little in common with the mostly elderly folks on our street. Over the years they helped us love our children, picking them up when a bicycle overturned and sending the kids cards for their graduation. We have enjoyed the comfort of living beside people who help us if our tree falls on the fence and feed the cat when we’re away.

Mrs Taylor did not survive her latest set-back. Once again I walked into the funeral home to say good-bye to a neighbor. I remembered the barking dog, the chats by the mailbox, the friendly wave across the fence. I remembered, and I was sad, but I had no regrets. Now there is a new family moving into the Taylor place. I see children’s toys in the yard. It’s time to take a walk.

1. What can we know according to the first paragraph?

A．Mrs Taylor has a big and happy family.

B．The author likes Mrs Taylor’s dog very much.

C．The author would like to know Mrs Taylor is in the hospital.

D．Mrs Taylor had been in poor health before Theresa told the author.

2. What does the underlined word “incidental” refer to?

A．Helpful.

B．Unprepared.

C．Unpleasant.

D．Delightful.

3. How did the author solve the difference with the neighbors?

A．She let her children be less noisy and naughty.

B．She tried to know more elderly folks in her street.

C．She treated everyone in the neighborhood warmly.

D．She enjoyed the comfort of living beside neighbors.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The True Neighbor	B．Gratitude to my neighbor
C．Mrs Taylor — A Respectable Woman	D．Expectation for New Neighbor