1 . My First Marathon（马拉松）

A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.

I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later informed me that I was ＂not athletic＂.

The idea that I was ＂not athletic＂ stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!

The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.

Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!

At mile 3, I passed a sign: ＂GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!＂

By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.

By mile 21, I was starving!

As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.

I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.

Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a ＂marathon winner＂.

1. A month before the marathon, the author ____________.

A．was well trained	B．felt scared
C．made up his mind to run	D．lost hope

2. Why did the author mention the P.E. class in his 7th year?

A．To acknowledge the support of his teacher.

B．To amuse the readers with a funny story.

C．To show he was not talented in sports.

D．To share a precious memory.

3. How was the author’s first marathon?

A．He made it.	B．He quit halfway.
C．He got the first prize.	D．He walked to the end.

4. What does the story mainly tell us?

A．A man owes his success to his family support.

B．A winner is one with a great effort of will.

C．Failure is the mother of success.

D．One is never too old to learn.

3 . Last year I went to the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, and it blew my mind. It had been my dream to attend the famous carnival for many years, so I was excited. However ,the moment I arrived, I was a little bit nervous because there were so many people on the streets. They say that five or six million people come to Rio during carnival time and about two million of them are on the streets on any given day. Luckily, I had a local guide, my sister’s friend Ronnie. He said he would take care of me and show me around at the carnival. He did not let me down.

Well, the carnival is all about the samba. It’s a style of music and dance which has its origins in Africa. Lots of Africans were used as slave labor by the Portuguese when Brazil was being conquered, so this mixed culture of African, Latin and European styles is really strong here.   Samba music is usually fast and exciting with a lot of drums and harmonic vocals(和声).It’s the kind of music that you couldn’t help dancing to. And I was learning that as I followed Ronnie through the crowd, I couldn’t help moving my hips and shoulders.

Ronnie had got us tickets for the samba parade inside the Sambadrome where the top samba schools compete for the championship, but we still had a long way to go through the street parties. He said most people enjoy the carnival by making their own parties in the street. About the samba parade, twelve main teams compete for the championship, and if they win, their performance will be talked about for years to come.

So, you must be wondering how it was. Well, I’m afraid I can’t tell you. Ronnie and I never made into the Sambadrome.   We spent the day moving from one street party to another. There were more snacks, more drinks and lots of dancing. Do I regret missing the main parade? Not at all. I experienced the carnival like the locals, and it was truly amazing.

1. How did the author feel once she arrived at the carnival?

A．Disappointed.

B．Anxious.

C．Excited.

D．Annoyed.

2. What can be known about samba in Paragraph 2?

A．It has a strong mixed culture.

B．Its music is always fast but soft.

C．It is not to the taste of the author.

D．It has its origins in South America.

3. Why didn’t the author regret missing the main parade?

A．She met some amazing local people.

B．She gave her own parties in the street.

C．She celebrated the festival in a local way.

D．She didn’t have the tickets for the parade.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To recommend a helpful guide.

B．To encourage people to learn samba.

C．To share an unforgettable experience.

D．To tell a cruel history of Rio de Janeiro.

5 . Some of my earliest memories involve sitting with my dad in his study every night when he came home from the office. I’d watch as he put his personal items away: his watch, wallet, comb and car keys. They would always occupy the same spot on the table every time.

Dad’s comb was jade green. I heard he bought it when he married Mum. Every night, he would smile, hand me the comb and say, “Be a good girl and help Daddy clean it, OK?”

I was more than happy to do it. At age five, this kind of task brought me such joy. I would excitedly turn the tap on, and then brush the comb with a used toothbrush as hard as I could. Satisfied that I’d done a good job, I would proudly return the comb to Dad. He would smile at me, and place the comb on top of his wallet.

About two years later, Dad left his sales job and started his own wholesale business. I started primary school. That was when things started to change. Dad’s business wasn’t doing so well, and our stable life started getting shaky. He didn’t come home as much as he used to. And when he did come home, it was always late and I’d already be in bed. I started to get mad. Why didn’t he listen to Mum and just stick to his old job? Why take the risk and place the whole family in trouble? Over the years, I stopped waiting for him to come home, and stopped going downstairs to check on him.

Now 28, I’ve graduated from college and got a job. Dad’s business has also started to get back on track. Yet the uncomfortable silence between Dad and me went on.

Two days before my birthday last year, Dad came home early. On that evening, I helped him carry his bags into his study as usual. When I turned to leave, he asked me to clean his comb. I looked at him for a while, then took the comb and headed to the sink.

It was a new comb. This one was brown. I hadn’t noticed that he’d changed it. After cleaning it, I passed it back to Dad. He looked at it and smiled. But this time, I noticed something different. My dad had aged. He had wrinkles next to his eyes when he smiled, yet his smile was still as heartwarming as before.

1. From the first three paragraphs, we can learn .

A．the earliest memories with Dad were full of joy

B．the precious green comb of Dad was made of jade

C．the author was unwilling to clean the comb for Dad

D．the author would study together with Dad every evening

2. What probably made Dad decide to resign from his original job to start his own business?

A．That he was eager to get everything on track.	B．That he wanted to keep his family life stable.
C．That he was laid off and had to make a living.	D．That he hoped to earn a better life for the family.

3. What emotional changes did the author experience when staying with Dad these years?

A．cheerful→ mad→ warm.	B．mad → satisfied → warm.
C．satisfied → worried → angry.	D．warm → concerned → uncomfortable.

4. What could be the best title for the text?

A．A Comb of Jade Green	B．Dad’s Wholesale Business
C．Evenings with My Dad	D．My Earliest Memories with Dad

6 . When I was a boy, I spent much time playing alone. I didn’t ______ it too much, though. I lived outside town, next to a forest where oaks (橡树) were my ______. I would sit in their shade and enjoy their peace.

Therefore it was so ______ for me when I was in employment in a ______ processing factory. It wasn’t just the ______ work, long hours, and low pay. It was also seeing trees being cut. The red oak trees were ______ influenced because they made the prettiest hardwood flooring.

One afternoon after a long day’s work, I decided to take a walk in the ______. As I wandered, I was filled with ______ for childhood days. Feeling so down, I dropped my head and that was when I ______ it: a red oak acorn (橡子) that had somehow ______ hungry animals all winter long. Something I’d read once ______ me at that moment — “An acorn ______ a forest eventually if it wants!” I smiled, bent down, dug up a handful of dirt and carefully ______ that little acorn. Then I headed home, no longer ______, for I also realized in our life we all ______ as an acorn, but whether our future is a forest or not is up to us.

1.

A．decide

B．change

C．mind

D．notice

2.

A．shelters

B．companions

C．favorites

D．hopes

3.

A．surprising

B．hard

C．impressive

D．important

4.

A．wood

B．food

C．wool

D．cook

5.

A．energy-saving

B．time-consuming

C．breath-taking

D．back-breaking

6.

A．equally

B．heavily

C．rarely

D．suddenly

7.

A．factory

B．forest

C．mountains

D．town

8.

A．longing

B．concern

C．regret

D．struggle

9.

A．received

B．thought

C．recognized

D．found

10.

A．met

B．left

C．survived

D．fed

11.

A．reminded

B．touched

C．guided

D．struck

12.

A．becomes

B．protects

C．remembers

D．saves

13.

A．collected

B．picked

C．planted

D．examined

14.

A．fearful

B．annoyed

C．doubtful

D．sad

15.

A．fight back

B．step forward

C．start out

D．break through

7 . The COVID-19 pandemic (大流行病) put a lot of celebrations on hold. During what seemed like an end to the pandemic, Dawn planned a birthday party _________ for her son JJ at a park with plenty of space to social _________. For one reason or another, kids and their parents _________ to stay at home. No guest _________ on the celebration.

After throwing the birthday party at a park for her son that _________ went to, this mom _________ her heartbreak online. All parents just want _________for their kids. Imagine watching your young kid’s excitement _________ sadness when none of his friends go to his_________.

Dawn’s video quickly __________ hundreds of thousands of views. Other moms talked about their understanding and a bunch of viewers wished JJ a happy birthday.__________, people offered to send gifts to the birthday boy to make his __________ day a little bit better.

Dawn even took it one step further for her boy. She __________ a virtual birthday party for JJ by going live online, and almost 30, 000 viewers ___________in. Hundreds of thousands of __________ getting together just to make a kid feel special on his birthday!

JJ’s mom posted a follow-up video,__________ that both she and her son were incredibly __________ for those wishing him a happy birthday and wanting to __________ toys. She said that JJ didn’t want or need toys, but he just wanted to have fun with his__________. JJ even __________ that people send toys to their closest Children’s Hospital instead of to him.

1.

A．outdoors

B．upstairs

C．indeed

D．somewhere

2.

A．relation

B．contact

C．media

D．distance

3.

A．pretended

B．refused

C．chose

D．agreed

4.

A．danced

B．appeared

C．insisted

D．cared

5.

A．somebody

B．nobody

C．everybody

D．nothing

6.

A．sold

B．healed

C．divided

D．shared

7.

A．happiness

B．wealth

C．cleverness

D．strength

8.

A．hear from

B．put up with

C．turn into

D．look like

9.

A．family

B．party

C．school

D．class

10.

A．attracted

B．damaged

C．encouraged

D．inspired

11.

A．Generally

B．However

C．Eventually

D．Unfortunately

12.

A．bright

B．first

C．beautiful

D．special

13.

A．spread

B．abandoned

C．studied

D．hosted

14.

A．came

B．cheered

C．joined

D．smiled

15.

A．boys

B．strangers

C．users

D．members

16.

A．saying

B．predicting

C．complaining

D．reporting

17.

A．thankful

B．sorry

C．respectful

D．anxious

18.

A．repair

B．purchase

C．send

D．reward

19.

A．books

B．relatives

C．teachers

D．friends

20.

A．judged

B．suggested

C．dreamed

D．learnt