Whenever I heard strangers singing out loud, whether it was in the supermarket or on the street, I used to think how annoying it was. That was until a few months ago.
Recently, my daughter Zoe started her second year of middle school with a new sense of awareness, asking me to fix the “little girl” pattern on her wheel-chair seat. Not wanting her to stand out at school, I spent hours filling in pale yellow stars with a black marker, eager to erase whatever childish signs I could.
Shortly after, Zoe got really sick and had to miss 20 days of school. This meant our days were filled with rushing between hospital appointments and meetings with the school, as we tried to make sure she didn’t fall behind on her schoolwork.
I felt pulled back to a time when she was little and her sickness was a huge part of her life. Back then, it seemed like Zoe lived in hospitals, as she spent so much time in them. No matter how sick she got, however, she always had a positive attitude.
But this was different: Zoe was no longer singing like she normally did. Zoe usually sang all the time, whether she was playing, riding in the car, or just doing her homework. There was no need for a radio in our house; Zoe provided the music for us.
Consumed (被折磨) with my motherly worries, it was more concerning to me than her sickness.
One day, however, I heard her beautiful voice as I was cooking dinner. I stopped what I was doing and just smiled. “Pure delight,” I thought to myself. Her voice slowly grew stronger, and soon, both the car and the house were filled with her music once more.
How had I not noticed her singing had completely stopped, weeks and weeks ago? Now, thankfully, she’s back in school, smiling and singing, and I’m thankful for each and every song she sings.
These days, whenever I hear a stranger singing a song to themselves, I don’t get mad. Instead, I smile, as I know that by singing out loud, they’re simply sharing their happiness with the world.
1. How did the author use to feel when she heard strangers singing? (no more than 5 words)2. What do you think Zoe was like? (no more than 10 words)
3. What does “it” in Paragraph 6 refer to? (no more than 10 words)
4. Why did the author say “There was no need for a radio in our house”? (no more than 15 words)
5. What does singing mean to people, according to the author? (no more than 15 words)
2 . When you are little, the whole world feels like a big playground. I was living in Conyers, Georgia the summer it all happened. I was a second grader, but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade. Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.
It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie’s basement. As I opened the basement door, before us lay the biggest room, full of amazing things like guns, dolls, and old clothes. I ran downstairs, and spotted a red steel can. It was paint. I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple, orange, blue and green.
“Stephanie, I just found us a project for the day. Get some paintbrushes. We are fixing to paint.” She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work. We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard. There on the road in front of my house, we painted big stripes (条纹) of colors across the pavement. Stripe by stripe, our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow. It was fantastic!
The sun was starting to sink. I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car. It was my mother. I couldn’t wait to show her my masterpiece. The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother’s face, I could tell that I was in deep trouble.
My mother shut the car door and walked towards me. Her eyes glaring, she shouted, “What in the world were you thinking? I understood when you made castles out of leaves, and climbed the neighbors’ trees, but this! Come inside right now!” I stood there glaring back at her for a minute, angry because she had insulted (侮辱) my art.
“Now go and clean it up!” Mother and I began cleaning the road. Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.
Though years have now passed, I still wonder where myrainbowhas gone. I wonder if, maybe when I get older, I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away. I guess we all need some sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.
1. What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?| A．To show his artwork to her. |
| B．To introduce Stephanie to her. |
| C．To put the materials back in the yard. |
| D．To prevent her from seeing his painting. |
| A．was a born artist | B．always caused trouble |
| C．was a problem solver | D．worked very hard |
| A．the rainbow in the sky |
| B．the stripes on the pavement |
| C．something imaginative and fun |
| D．important lessons learned in childhood |
| A．Sad. | B．Excited. | C．Embarrassed. | D．Curious. |
| A．encourage children to paint |
| B．value friendship among children |
| C．discover the hidden talent in children |
| D．protect rather than destroy children’s dreams |
3 . 
For Mao Zhongwu, who was paralyzed (瘫痪) from the waist down in an accidental fall 16 years ago, sports have opened up a new world. The 37-year-old cross-country “sit-skier” collected one gold and two silver medals at the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games — in men’s middle-distance, men’s sprint (短距离) and men’s long distance, respectively. “It was sports that made me come out of the lowest point in my life and changed me physically, mentally and spiritually,” Mao said.
Born and raised in Dalian, Liaoning province, Mao has been fond of sports since childhood. The accident changed everything. Paralysis ended his functional independence. He had to live under his mother’s care. For a long time, he felt ashamed and was unwilling to go out. In 2017, persuaded by his mother, he started to learn table tennis. Ten days later, he took part in a citywide competition and performed well.
Fan Yi, a coach from the sports department of Dalian’s service center for the disabled, picked Mao and brought him to the wheelchair racing team. Fan recalled that in the beginning Mao didn’t dare to talk with other people. But he gradually became cheerful and confident in training. Three years ago, Mao shifted to train for cross-country skiing. “As an older athlete, he recovers slowly. He persevered through willpower,” Fan said.
Mao said that when he decided to be a professional athlete, he told himself there was no turning back. “I have experienced the bitterness of life, and I know this is a rare opportunity that I must seize,” he said. Everyone’s body has its limits. When he was suffering through the period of tiredness caused by overtraining, he thought he was too old to compete in the Olympics. “But I never gave up. With the support of my team, I stepped toward my goals one by one,” he said. “Although I’m not young now, I will keep training and eye on more gold medals as long as I can.”
1. What can be inferred about Mao Zhongwu from the passage?| A．He was paralyzed at the age of 16. |
| B．He won the gold medal in men’s sprint. |
| C．He was grateful for the accident. |
| D．He found new life in sports after the accident. |
| A．Because he felt embarrassed by his disability. |
| B．Because he preferred doing sports indoors. |
| C．Because he couldn’t go out without any assistance. |
| D．Because he suffered from depression and anxiety. |
| A．his age |
| B．his poor mental state |
| C．the lack of confidence |
| D．the bitterness of his life |
| A．Adventurous and creative. |
| B．Passionate and sympathetic. |
| C．Determined and persistent. |
| D．Intelligent and communicative. |
| A．All good things come to an end. |
| B．Every man is the master of his fate. |
| C．One shouldn’t miss forest for the trees. |
| D．One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. |
Reading broadens our horizons and gives us wisdom. Reading can also be a bridge bonding family members.
Rose is my daughter. I read stories to her every night when she was a little girl. So I had her captivated by books when she was at an early age. For example, almost every night she would go to bed early, waiting for my reading. When Rose was about eight, we changed our routine. We took turns selecting our books and reading out loud.
There was no regular pattern in the books selected. I remember that we began with Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, enjoying the company of those rough sailors and stumbling (结结巴巴地读) over the eighteenth-century seamen’s dialect. But we loved the book, and learned a lot about pirates daily life, adventures, tricks, greed and so on. We later went through many books, like the chick lit series.
In due course Rose grew up and left for McGill University in Montreal. She was educated in French and was enthusiastic about speaking the language. Her first visit home was at Christmas.
There was a gift from her, an audiobook with six cassettes. It was Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, read by Rose. Her reading was interrupted occasionally by a giggle, and her voice made me remember how happily Rose and I read together in our bedroom every night when she was a kid.
As I write this, Rose is a third-year medical student at Dalhousie University. Now she is interested in medicine while I am interested in history. However, we manage to combine our different personal interests. We recommend selected reading materials to each other. We are currently loving The Crimson Portraitby Jody Shields, a well written novel about the development of plastic surgery during World War I. Our first written collaboration an article on Canadian medical history, will be published this year.
1. What does the underlined word “captivated” in Paragraph 2 probably mean? (Only 1 word)2. What did the author and her daughter learn from Treasure Island? (no more than 10 words)
3. What did Rose’s reading Shopaholic Takes Manhattan make the author remember? (no more than 10 words)
4. How were the author’s interest and Rose’s interest combined? (no more than 10 words)
5. What do you think of the author’s way of bringing up her daughter? (no more than 20 words)
5 . I strongly believe that we can have a great influence on anyone we meet. Some acts that we think
Years ago, that was what happened to me. I was the only
When the other kids laughed at me, I was sure that I was a
Mrs. Jordan, my 5th-grade teacher,
One morning, she asked the
I will never forget what
For the first time in my young life, I was a star. I
From that day forward, my grades and speech
| A．hard | B．easy | C．great | D．small |
| A．suddenly | B．totally | C．quickly | D．simply |
| A．blind | B．lonely | C．deaf | D．short |
| A．made fun of | B．talked of | C．looked up to | D．heard of |
| A．skill | B．difficulty | C．relation | D．record |
| A．clever | B．natural | C．stupid | D．dirty |
| A．get along with | B．keep up with | C．put up with | D．come up with |
| A．proved | B．realized | C．defeated | D．changed |
| A．class | B．staff | C．boys | D．girls |
| A．although | B．until | C．because | D．before |
| A．calm | B．afraid | C．excited | D．brave |
| A．show | B．promise | C．inform | D．warn |
| A．Without | B．Besides | C．Despite | D．Except |
| A．dive | B．look | C．step | D．breath |
| A．happened | B．caused | C．disappeared | D．arrived |
| A．book | B．wall | C．desk | D．floor |
| A．asked | B．whispered | C．cried | D．answered |
| A．stood | B．grew | C．jumped | D．sat |
| A．benefited | B．improved | C．missed | D．recovered |
| A．express | B．accept | C．solve | D．challenge |
6 . Emily Bhatnagar, a 17-year-old-girl, developed serious health issues — depression and anxiety. However, she found a way to
This summer, she decided to start collecting new or lightly used
On Oct. 5, Bhatnagar with her parents,
The
| A．impress | B．channel | C．inform | D．narrow |
| A．company | B．wisdom | C．imagination | D．achievement |
| A．providing | B．evaluating | C．encountering | D．enjoying |
| A．novels | B．books | C．magazines | D．surveys |
| A．aim | B．love | C．help | D．wonder |
| A．mail | B．post | C．paper | D．story |
| A．requiring | B．complaining | C．expecting | D．replying |
| A．worriedly | B．apparently | C．hesitantly | D．eagerly |
| A．introduced | B．delivered | C．compared | D．returned |
| A．attract | B．disappoint | C．beat | D．distract |
| A．give out | B．fall on | C．go by | D．use up |
| A．donated | B．broken | C．virtual | D．dramatic |
| A．luxury | B．valuable | C．limited | D．friendly |
| A．mouth | B．chance | C．impact | D．question |
| A．feeling | B．report | C．fame | D．stuff |
| A．burden | B．praise | C．options | D．tips |
| A．safety | B．purpose | C．reality | D．humor |
| A．out of | B．into | C．over | D．down |
| A．certain | B．proud | C．aware | D．capable |
| A．express | B．spread | C．keep | D．decrease |
It was a tough situation. At 8,700 meters above sea level, Zhang Hong and his team members faced a difficult decision. Based on the oxygen they had consumed, they might not have enough to reach the summit of Qomolangma. Should they press on or turn back?
Zhang’s guide Chen Tao made a quick decision that he and the two photographers with the group should immediately withdraw and leave their oxygen tanks to Zhang to let him finish the climb to the summit of the mountain.
The wind was strong, and Zhang was terrified. The three Sherpa guides didn’t speak Chinese and their English instructions to Zhang were muffled by the high wind. And there was additional difficulty for Zhang — he can’t see.
To walk on a path was often hard for the Chinese mountaineer. And there was no actual path on the mountain. Zhang had to follow the guides’ directions precisely on every single step. The guides told him in which direction to go and the length of each step. But one mistake could cost Zhang his life.
At first, Zhang didn’t want to continue. But Chen told Zhang “if you don’t continue, this may be the last chance you have to reach the top of Qomolangma, while I will still have more chances”. There was no time left for 46-year-old Zhang to argue with Chen and Chen gave Zhang a gentle nudge to hurry him on.
Zhang continued his climb with one guide in front of him and two behind. After several more hours’ climbing, the guide leading the way told Zhang that he was standing at the top of the mountain. Zhang was first visually impaired person from Asia ever to conquer the world’s highest peak.
On the rock face of the mountain, Zhang etched his name alongside that of Erik Weihenmayer and Andy Holzer, who completed the feat in 2001 and 2017 respectively. They are the only three blind mountaineers to have climbed Qomolangma.
1. Why did Chen decide to withdraw while letting Zhang finish the climb?(no more than 10 words)2. How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 3? (no more than 10 words)
3. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 5? (no more than 10 words)
4. What made Zhang different from other mountaineers who reached the summit of Qomolangma? (no more than 10 words)
5. What’s your attitude towards the “mountain” in your life? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)
8 . While youth is often a time of great promise and achievement, a life well lived can also be filled with any number of next chapters and second or even third — acts that add depth, nuance (细微差别), and meaning to our stories. At 65 years old, Somerset native Carole-Ann Warburton experienced a plot twist that led to the fulfillment of a long-cherished dream she’d never even spoken of aloud.
After an illness incapacitated (使失去正常生活能力) her, Warburton was left with the question of what to do going forward. During her convalescence (康复), her daughter brought around some real estate listings for the sort of homes in which she thought her mum might best spend her golden years. Coincidentally, amongst the notices was an offering for a small barbershop with an above-stairs apartment.
For Warburton, although she admitted “the place was awful”, it was love at first sight and the perfect opportunity to do something she’d longed to do for almost as long as she could remember — work in a bookshop. Less than three months after coming to her decision, Warburton handed in her retirement notice, sold her house, bought the store, and using a personal inventory (库存) totaling between 8,000 and 9,000 titles — she launched her new bookshop, The Book Rest.
A decade on, The Book Rest recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Although the pandemic has slowed foot traffic, since Warburton’s driving motive isn’t monetary profit, but rather, something of a deeper, more special personal value, she has no plans to close up the shop.
Having achieved her own dream, Warburton sees every day in the bookstore as an opportunity to help others realise theirs as well. “All the dreams are in the books,” she told The Guardian. “They are all there waiting to be picked up... Someone can walk in tomorrow and say, I have been looking for that for an awfully long time!” And as gatekeeper to her own small universe of literary wonders, Warburton says she plans to stay around as long as she can to ensure that they do.
1. What does the author want to say in the first paragraph?| A．There are possibilities at any stage of life. | B．One should grasp the youth to make achievements. |
| C．Changing the way of life is crucial at the age of 65. | D．Realising a long-cherished dream is all that matters in life. |
| A．She invested much money in opening a bookstore. |
| B．She used her possessions to develop real-estate business. |
| C．She started her career with her daughter in a small barbershop. |
| D．She sought her daughter’s advice on where to rent the apartment. |
| A．Her strong desire to attract more customers. | B．The increasing decline of economic situations. |
| C．The huge financial burden of illness treatment. | D．Her seeking of an inner world of self-fulfillment. |
| A．Curious and ambitious. | B．Brave and adventurous. |
| C．Creative and pioneering. | D．Enthusiastic and determined. |
9 . Just before Christmas, my daughter Katie and I went over to my dad’s place to decorate. I couldn’t help
The Christmas after I turned 16, while decorating the
Broken-hearted, I knelt to pick up the pieces and was
“Your daddy wrote that and put it in that
I wouldn’t have
I cleaned up the pieces,
Now, as we
The note inside one of those old glass balls on my dad’s tree holds the heart of my parents’
| A．selecting | B．admiring | C．breaking | D．collecting |
| A．holding | B．printing | C．hanging | D．hiding |
| A．memories | B．ideas | C．dreams | D．opinions |
| A．wall | B．tree | C．cake | D．room |
| A．discovered | B．covered | C．caught | D．dropped |
| A．tell | B．decide | C．remember | D．predict |
| A．annoyed | B．surprised | C．excited | D．disappointed |
| A．realized | B．learned | C．expected | D．recognized |
| A．warm | B．anxious | C．angry | D．bored |
| A．ball | B．drawer | C．pocket | D．box |
| A．understood | B．recalled | C．believed | D．noticed |
| A．mind | B．hands | C．book | D．shoes |
| A．thoughtful | B．passionate | C．cheerful | D．mean |
| A．proved | B．described | C．explained | D．stressed |
| A．showing | B．knowing | C．wishing | D．pretending |
| A．bill | B．note | C．pieces | D．card |
| A．prepare | B．demand | C．celebrate | D．save |
| A．funny | B．difficult | C．puzzling | D．touching |
| A．shared | B．cooked | C．quarreled | D．read |
| A．decorations | B．business | C．success | D．marriage |
10 . On a cold winter day in Denver, I waited in line to see my hero, Jack Canfield, the co-author of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series and the author of The Success Principles. What Jack had become was a version of what I wanted to be.
During his talk, Jack took out his wallet, pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, and said, “Who wants this?”
Hands shot up in the audience; people leaned forward to see whom Jack would choose. But I ran up the stairs to the stage and grabbed the bill from his hand. He turned to me and said, “Yes, that’s it! Instead of waiting around for opportunities, simply take the initiative and create what we want!”
After this week, I asked for his personal e-mail address and sent him e-mail sharing my views and dreams. He kindly e-mailed back simple encouragement such as “Keep thinking and playing bigger; it’s much more fun that way. Love, Jack.” Then I got occupied with other things in life and I stopped e-mail Jack.
A year later, my dream gradually faded. I had this idea if I got back in touch with Jack. I e-mailed him again and again but got no response. As I sat down at my computer to check my e-mail for the fifth time in 15 minutes, an inspiration came like lighting: What was I doing? Was I waiting for the prize of life? I knew I needed to do something about all this waiting. I was going to write a book, which I would call “Waiting for Jack”!
It all sounded good, but then reality hit. Some nights I cried and wanted to give up. I wrote and rewrote. Even though I could feel the fear, I did it anyway. Fortunately, three years later, Waiting for Jack turns out a best-seller on Amazon!
We all have a “Jack” for whom we wait — whether it’s a person, a place or a thing. Now I would like to ask you: what are you waiting for?
1. From the first paragraph we can learn that the author _________.| A．wanted Jack to autograph her book |
| B．wanted to be as successful as Jack |
| C．wanted to make friends with Jack |
| D．wanted to get help from Jack |
| A．welcomes challenges in life |
| B．enjoys playing a lot |
| C．likes showing off his wealth |
| D．seldom takes risks |
| A．She and Jack had an argument. |
| B．She had no time to contact Jack. |
| C．Jack was too proud to get along with. |
| D．She was too upset with her broken dream. |
| A．The author considered Jack Canfield as her idol. |
| B．The author was not very satisfied with Jack’s response at first. |
| C．It was the author’s sudden desire to write a book called Waiting for Jack. |
| D．The author spent three years writing Waiting for Jack, so it became a best seller. |
| A．The disappointment of waiting for her hero, Jack. |
| B．The need to keep waiting for the prize of our life. |
| C．The importance of taking action to achieve a goal. |
| D．The harm of blindly worshipping others as heroes. |
