1 . Writer Andrew Leland started losing his sight 20 years ago, when he was in high school, as a result of a progressive eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa (色素性视网膜炎). His first experience of loss of sight happened temporarily at night, in which he was confused that everyone else seemed to see in the dark so much better than he did. Over the years, his disease has progressed gradually. He’s now legally blind, although he still has a narrow field of vision, which allows him to see about 6% of what a fully sighted person sees.
Leland analogized his vision to the view you might get by looking through a toilet paper tube or a keyhole. He said, “Imagine having that toilet paper tube tied to your head and trying to walk down the street; there’s a whole bunch of things you don’t see but that you really ought to, like dogs.”
In his new book, The Country of the Blind, Leland writes about losing his vision and preparing for blindness, how his condition impacts his identity, how the world sees him and his marriage, and something valuable he has learned.
He said he was not going to try to tell people that having vision was not an unbelievably useful thing for a human being for many reasons. When talking about the experience of being alive and being conscious, he referred to James Joyce — Joyce believed that he was only losing one world among many, and that vision was only a tiny part of experiences when he was going blind.
He thought if you looked at the things that blind people were capable of imagining, like John Milton writing Paradise Lost as a blind person, there was this unbelievable richness in humans’ consciousness that vision had nothing to do with. Other realms (领域) such as the mental and emotional realms were all so rich that they could also help unfold things on earth before you.
1. What do we know about Leland?| A．He went totally blind in high school. |
| B．He experienced night blindness at first. |
| C．He was born with a narrow field of vision. |
| D．He was aware of his condition throughout. |
| A．Connected. | B．Reduced. | C．Compared. | D．Exposed. |
| A．To help explain an opinion. |
| B．To stress the value of good vision. |
| C．To state his considerable influence. |
| D．To show the inconvenience of blindness. |
| A．Practice is the best teacher. |
| B．The blind have more vivid imagination. |
| C．Things are not set in concrete. |
| D．Vision is not the only window in the world. |
2 . Draper was the owner of a secondhand bookstore. One day, when he was sorting through a pile of old books, an envelope
Tears were welling up in Draper’s eyes. These were a
He supposed if the book ended up in his shop then Bethany was likely from around Bishop Auckland. And he thought he would
He started with the local newspaper. The Northern Echo ran the story of the
Meanwhile, Bethany Gash, now 21 and a(n)
Bethany was only 4 when her mother
She remembered unpacking and looking for the letter, and then
Draper
| A．came | B．escaped | C．fell | D．heard |
| A．destroying | B．reading | C．writing | D．forgetting |
| A．cool | B．determined | C．dying | D．smart |
| A．introduce | B．find | C．comfort | D．phone |
| A．appreciate | B．prefer | C．recognize | D．imagine |
| A．unhappy | B．wet | C．broken | D．lost |
| A．editor | B．mother | C．assistant | D．daughter |
| A．magazine | B．ticket | C．article | D．homework |
| A．terms | B．tenses | C．languages | D．words |
| A．dreaming | B．sleeping | C．playing | D．joking |
| A．died out | B．got back | C．calmed down | D．passed away |
| A．donated | B．burned | C．robbed | D．dirtied |
| A．suddenly | B．madly | C．regularly | D．secretly |
| A．composed | B．kept | C．published | D．delivered |
| A．honesty | B．expectation | C．intelligence | D．kindness |
“Goodbye, Mum and Dads, don’t worry. We’ll take care of everything!” Carly waved from the front door of the shop as her parents drove off. They were headed for a well-deserved vacation from their candy store, and Carly had promised them she’d be able to run it by herself.
Her parents didn’t quite agree, however, so they compromised by having Carly’s Aunt Maggie come over and help. Aunt Maggie didn’t have any experience running a store, but Carly did, and at least her aunt would be good company. Carly put on her pink shop apron (围裙) and removed a white one from a hook, handing it to her aunt. “Please put this on. The main job is to serve customers, but we also make some of the candy ourselves. Dad and Mum did most of the work already, but we have to finish up a few things. I’ll show you.” Carly took her aunt behind the counter and over to where the family made some of their own candy, such as fresh fudge (软糖), cotton candy, and ice cream. They had lots of delicious flavours to choose from. Aunt Maggie took a little bite of the chocolate mint-flavouted fudge, saying. “It’s delicious.”
“It’s good, but… unoriginal.” Carly said, “We can do better.” Before Aunt Maggie could question what she meant. Carly went into the kitchen, coming back with her hands full of items. She spread them on the work surface. “I want to create new flavours and our customers should try something new, something innovative.”
Aunt Maggie’s eyes grew wide as she looked at the items. Brussels sprouts (球芽甘蓝). Flaming Hot Chili Sauce (辣椒酱)… “Are you sure they can be added into fudges or ice creams?” Aunt Maggie shook her head in disbelief. Carly looked at her aunt, saying that it would work and the cold would perfectly balance out the spicy sauce.
After a while, today’s new specials were done—Brussels sprout fudge, barbeque-flavoured cotton candy, hot sauce ice cream… Carly looked at them proudly but Aunt Maggie disbelieved and said. “I just wish our customers would like them.”
注意:1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
They put up a sign in front of the store showing the new flavours.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________But to her delight, the two boys came back, followed by a crowd of kids.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . Bethany Meilani Hamilton was born on February 8, 1990, in Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii. Raised in a surfing family, along with older brothers Noah and Tim, Bethany learned to surf at the age of 7. She began competitive surfing at age 8, and by age 9 she had got her first sponsorship(赞助) .
In October 2003, after having placed 3rd in the Open Women’s Division earlier that year, Bethany’s life changed forever. Bethany went out to surf at Tunnels Beach in Ha’ena with her best friend, Alana Blanchard, and Blanchard’s father and brother. While lying on her board, Bethany suddenly felt huge pressure on her left arm and was pulled back and forth for a few seconds. Feeling no pain at first, she noticed the water around her had turned red, and her shocked friend first realized that she was attacked by a shark. Hamilton lost her left arm just below the shoulder.
As she recovered, she made two promises to herself. The first was that she would not moan(抱怨) about her terrible accident and the second was that she would get back on the surfboard. After only 26 days, she was surfing again! She is now one of the top 50 female surfers in the world. She also won first prize in the Explorer Women’s Division of the NSSA National Championships.
Bethany’s story has been turned into many books, including a few written by herself. She has appeared on many TV shows, magazine articles and in 2004 was named the Best Comeback Athlete and also received the Courage Teen Choice Award.
The last two books written by Bethany were based around the theme of being unstoppable. One of her books is named Be Unstoppable: The Art of Never Giving Up and has guided readers to be brave, enjoy life and never give up.
1. When did Bethany start to take part in surfing competitions?| A．In 1990. | B．In 1997. | C．In 1998. | D．In 2003. |
| A．It happened during a competition. |
| B．Bethany lost her arms in the accident. |
| C．Alana was the first to find out Bethany was attacked. |
| D．It was so painful that Bethany passed out immediately. |
| A．The popularity of Bethany. | B．The promises of Bethany. |
| C．The books written by Bethany. | D．The prizes Bethany won. |
| A．Knowledgable. | B．Encouraging. | C．Outgoing. | D．Sociable. |
Along a beautiful river lived a young and beautiful bird named Hamsa. Besides, he was unique from all other birds that lived in the area. He had two heads and a single body.
One day, Hamsa was walking along the river bank. He saw a beautiful golden-reddish fruit lying on the sand. As soon as the first head saw the fruit, he cried, “Oh, my Lord... this is the most beautiful fruit I have ever seen. God has sent this fruit for me.”The second head replied, “Oh, you cheap fellow. Let me have it; I wanna taste it!”
The first head did not want to share the fruit. He said to the second head, “We both share the same stomach, so whether you eat or I eat, it really does not matter. So I will have it.” The first head picked up the fruit and gave it to their wife, who liked the fruit a lot. The second head was very disappointed with the artfulness(狡猾)of the first head. He kept quiet and did not say anything.
A few days later, Hamsa was again wandering along the banks of the river. The second head noticed a bluish and whitish fruit lying on the sands of the river. The second head immediately picked it up. When the first head saw the fruit, he understood what it actually was! He cried, “Oh, my dear partner, please throw away this fruit. Do not eat it. It’s actually a poisonous(有毒的)fruit. Both of us share the same stomach. If you eat it, we both will die. So save both of us.”
The second head was not in a mood(心情)to listen to the first head’s speech. He replied, “Oh, you double-dealing(口是心非)one! You are jealous(嫉妒的)now that I have been rewarded(回报)with a beautiful fruit. Now keep quiet and let me have it.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The first head kept warning him.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The wife served medicine to Hamsa.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . Triplets (三胞胎) Sierra, Kassidy, and Haley have faced a range of challenges throughout their lives. At just three months old, they
The triplets’ lives took another
Despite these
Remarkably, all three girls maintained a 4.0 grade point average,
The community recognized their efforts and
Throughout their journey, the triplets maintained a(n)
| A．loved | B．found | C．missed | D．lost |
| A．care | B．hope | C．face | D．absence |
| A．Curiously | B．Regretfully | C．Consequently | D．Annoyingly |
| A．perfect | B．dark | C．strange | D．final |
| A．source | B．schedule | C．chance | D．accident |
| A．keeping | B．carrying | C．lacking | D．collecting |
| A．hardships | B．attentions | C．disasters | D．damages |
| A．put up | B．took on | C．got in | D．made out |
| A．opinion | B．strategy | C．routine | D．intention |
| A．delivering | B．leaving | C．making | D．earning |
| A．classic | B．academic | C．major | D．specific |
| A．provided | B．shared | C．cooperated | D．left |
| A．funds | B．balances | C．expenses | D．demands |
| A．further | B．worthy | C．economic | D．positive |
| A．overcoming | B．meeting | C．predicting | D．adjusting |
7 . Adam found a baby squirrel (松鼠) in his yard. He decided to
“He’d let anybody
That was the day Adam came home to obvious signs of a(n)
“Joey had run in the bedroom...and kind of
Ashley asked if Joey bites. “Not usually,” Adam explained, “but he is, after all, a
Hours later, Ashley returned with a remarkable story: She’d
“She asked him, ‘Did you get that from a
“The attack scared him, obviously, because he wasn’t
Adam’s family got their stuff back, and Joey got his favorite
| A．catch | B．take | C．throw | D．follow |
| A．helped | B．found | C．became | D．hurt |
| A．reward | B．comfort | C．challenge | D．pet |
| A．robbery | B．mistake | C．murder | D．accident |
| A．street | B．yard | C．office | D．bathroom |
| A．missing | B．shining | C．stored | D．abandoned |
| A．deal | B．request | C．decision | D．report |
| A．delighted | B．scared | C．annoyed | D．surprised |
| A．small | B．unique | C．strange | D．wild |
| A．questioned | B．charged | C．identified | D．recognized |
| A．kid | B．squirrel | C．police | D．dog |
| A．pulling | B．chasing | C．approaching | D．attacking |
| A．expecting | B．noticing | C．pretending | D．promising |
| A．checked | B．hid | C．cleaned | D．left |
| A．toy | B．target | C．treat | D．taste |
8 . “Every life is a boat, the dream is the boat sail.” Every child has a dream of what they want to be. When Renee Butts was little, her dream was to become a volunteer firefighter because her father was one. Sadly, when she was 14, her beloved father died and she was never able to do volunteer work with him. However, Renee’s story didn’t end there. She was determined and never gave up, which makes for a good firefighter.
Now Renee is a member of the Carme l Fire Department, where she is required to be an Emergency Medical Technician. She should also be ready to deal with any emergency, like fighting a fire, dealing with a car accident or helping someone who’s sick. Sometimes she is in the driver’s seat or using the water pump. Renee works nine to eleven days a month on 24-hour shifts. She also has a family to care for, as her husband is also a busy firefighter. Dealing with housework and working so much can show her great determination.
When I asked Renee what the best part of her job was, she replied, “Helping people and saving lives.” I think that shows signs of being a true hero. She’s always willing to do anything for anyone in need. Renee says that her job is frightening at times, but extremely exciting. “The worst part of my job is that I see death. Actually, sometimes people die in the accident, for which I am very sorry.” With 140 people in her station, Renee is one of the only three women, but that doesn’t bother her. She says everyone can get a fair shot and do the same jobs.
I was inspired by this because I knew I would be very scared to do her job and didn’t know if I could handle seeing people die. We would never live without people like her who have the courage to risk their lives. Renee’s determination rubs off on me and makes me believe that I can do anything.
1. What happened to Renee when she was fourteen?| A．She dropped out of school. | B．She got lost in a boat sailing. |
| C．Her dream to be a firefighter came true. | D．Her father passed away. |
| A．She is one of the only three women in her station. |
| B．She always tries her best to help anyone in need. |
| C．She feels sorry for the people dying in the accident. |
| D．She has been a firefighter for a long time. |
| A．Frightening but exciting. | B．Simple and pleasant. |
| C．Challenging but promising. | D．Relaxing and comfortable. |
| A．The author feels very scared to do Renee’s job. |
| B．Renee’s story is an inspiration to the author. |
| C．Renee encourages the author to risk the life. |
| D．The author could handle seeing people die. |
9 . At age sixty-one, “Daddy” Bruce Randolph opened Daddy Bruce’s Barbecue Restaurant in the “Five Points” area, a poor section of Denver. He was a kind and
Every Thanksgiving, Bruce and his son would
Due to the participation of various people, it seems there was an endless
| A．curious | B．honest | C．generous | D．active |
| A．disabled | B．homeless | C．injured | D．old |
| A．confidently | B．gradually | C．completely | D．successfully |
| A．check | B．dinner | C．journey | D．ride |
| A．preparing | B．transporting | C．collecting | D．handling |
| A．prices | B．profits | C．resources | D．costs |
| A．relatives | B．admirers | C．customers | D．classmates |
| A．ate | B．donated | C．produced | D．sold |
| A．promised | B．demanded | C．attempted | D．volunteered |
| A．forbid | B．see | C．stop | D．catch |
| A．supply | B．charity | C．creation | D．discovery |
| A．thirsty | B．hungry | C．tired | D．hopeless |
| A．started | B．raced | C．discovered | D．won |
| A．stay | B．live | C．blame | D．work |
| A．honour | B．view | C．life | D．favour |
The boy sat on his chair, with his hand above the keyboard. He thought about what to write.
He recalled that the competition deadline was merely a week away. But he still had not even started on his piece. He looked at the brochure again. “WRITING COMPETITION!” the title read. His mom had encouraged him to enter the writing competition, and now he was taking it on as his personal task for the holidays.
As the boy reflected on his previous writing efforts, he realized how hopeless his task of winning was. Every story he ever wrote was based on other stories. He had little imagination, and unfortunately, imagination was the key to writing.
Suddenly, he had a brainwave. This time, he came up with an original and imaginative story.
The words shot towards him like a storm of leaves. Words were coming easily, flowing through him, faster than he could type. He typed faster than he ever had before. He continued to type, amazed at how easy writing this story was. The boy could not stop writing. He looked at the word count and saw the number “248” staring right back at him. He was not even halfway yet.
Then he heard the call of his mother saying time for bed. He continued writing the piece, ignoring her. He had to make up for the time he had lost thinking about a topic to write. Finally, he finished. The word count now read “498”.
“Perfect,” he thought, “just under the word limit.” He knew this was the story that would win.
He went onto Google and searched for the competition. He found the page but there was no “Enter” button.
Confused, he then re-read the page again. It read COMPETITION CLOSED.
注意：1. 续写词数应为 150 左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1:
After a few seconds, the boy eagerly checked the deadline of the COMPETITION on the website.
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Paragraph 2:
His mother came up and comforted him.
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