A GIFT FOR GRANDPA
Summer vacation was coming. Jack and his brother Berlin were filled with excitement as they thought of visiting their grandparents again.
The big day came at last. After the happy family got ready, they set out for the grandparents’ eagerly. On the way, the brothers were excitedly talking about the fun they had with grandparents.
A little blue house with a tall white chimney finally appeared. Behind the property was the forest carrying their good memories with Grandpa. They arrived at the driveway, at the end of which Grandma was waiting for them joyfully.
Jack and Berlin each gave Grandma a big hug and then swept to the living room, shouting excitedly “Grandpa, we are back!”
Seeing his grandsons, Grandpa was wild with joy and tried to get up with all his strength from the chair but in vain. A helpless expression flashed on his face. Grandma explained that his health was declining rapidly and maybe couldn’t stand up on his own forever. But Grandpa declared stubbornly (倔强地), “I can!” Certainly, he was stuck in his boyish way. Mum and grandparents were happy to meet again after a long time. They sat together and chatted about what happened recently.
The brothers were soon bored with adult conversation, went out and wandered into the forest. Tall trees stretched up to the heavens with large branches crossing each other, while young ones rose straight like soldiers. Grandpa was once a great explorer full of wisdom. He could tell where the birds came from only by their calls and songs. The trees, birds, lizards, lots of bugs...How many merry moments they spent with Grandpa in the kingdom!
But now Grandpa couldn't get up. This made them worried. “We’d think out a way to cheer him up.” Jack said. “Grandpa is a bird lover, and we can catch him a bird.” Berlin suggested. “But he hates birds being caged!” Jack shook his head.
Then a bright idea came to Jack’s mind. “Why not make a cane (拐杖) out of a young tree!”
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。
Berlin thought it was a good idea.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jack and Berlin handed the cane to Grandpa.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As a young boy, I was carefree. Every vacation I looked forward to two things—seeing my grandpa and hearing his wonderful stories. My grandpa was a very good storyteller. He had worked various odd jobs when he was young and wove his adventures and misadventures into fantastic tales. These wonderful tales colored my childhood.
As I grew up, I had to admit that Grandpa’s stories went on a little long, even a little boring and gradually lost their magic. However, not wanting to upset him, my brother and I would sometimes take turns sitting in the living room, listening to grandpa tell his stories.
When my grandpa was approaching 91, he suffered from serious memory-loss. It was kind of what doctors called dementia (痴呆), probably the earliest stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Following the doctor’s directions, we moved him into a Sunrise Assisted Living Community, where he could get a better care. After that, grandpa hardly came to our house.
One weekend before my grandpa’s birthday, I came to visit him. Seeing grandpa sitting in his armchair, dull-looking, I was consumed with mixed feelings. I wheeled grandpa to the sunshine in the courtyard, talking to him. He couldn’t express himself clearly and spoke in short bursts, but I listened to him patiently and carefully just as I used to be a little boy.
It was then that I noticed a shadow box with some old and yellowish photos in it. I picked one up, in which my brother, several boys in our neighborhood, and I were playing basketball with grandpa cheering us on twenty years before. My mind flashed back to those beautiful memories. Back then, Grandpa was in good physical condition and we were all wearing basketball jerseys, playing and laughing with abandon. I presented the photo to my grandpa, pointing at each member and reminding him of their names. Incredibly, grandpa could speak out the name of every player. I even caught a soft light in grandpa’s eyes and a smile on his lips.
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。
A bright idea for grandpa’s birthday came to my mind.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Seeing “the same players” playing there, grandpa seemed to have thought of something.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I begged my mom to let me make cookies by myself. Even though I had never attempted baking before, I was nine years old and my friend Emmie had been baking cupcakes by herself for a year. I was determined to prove that I could make it.
My brother, Caleb, laughed at the idea of me cooking alone, calling it a disaster. Having a big brother can be annoying. Despite his laughing, my mom agreed to let me try. She reminded me to take my time and be careful because I’d had some messy spills before I was nine.
I raced to the kitchen and went to work. I cracked eggs and put a cold stick of butter into the bowl. I turned on the mixer at medium speed—and whoa. Whoa. Whoa! What a disaster! I had to wipe butter off my face, then off the table and floor.
Caleb made fun of me again, calling me a mess. I chased him away with a spoon and turned back to the mixing bowl. I started again with softer butter. Referring to the recipe, I poured everything needed into the bowl and mixed it. After that, I put round batter (面糊) onto the cookie sheet and put it into the oven (烤箱). Within a minute, a fantastic smell filled the kitchen—the smell of cookie success!
I was going to prove that I was responsible. No more eye-rolling from my brother. No more “You’re too young” from my parents. I was grown up and in control.
I stared into the oven, and my heart sank. The neat, little balls had melted (融化) and overflowed to the edges of the cookie sheet. I pulled the pan out just as Caleb wandered back into the kitchen.
“What in the world?” He started to laugh. “Cookie soup?”
“You just be quiet,” I whispered, trying not to cry. “Just leave me alone.”
“How’s it going in there?” Dad called from the living room.
Caleb raised his eyebrows and bit his lip. I responded that everything was fine, pouring the melted batter into the bowl quickly.
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。
Paragraph 1: I picked up the directions, wondering what had gone wrong．
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: I brought a plate of cookies into the living room for my parents．
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 . American author Gary Hopkins tells us, “A suitable apology can be a wonderful thing, so long as it is from the heart.” However, an apology is
A few years ago, I was a guest
Of course, apologies shouldn’t be
Generally, over apologizing
| A．essential | B．impossible | C．reasonable | D．difficult |
| A．editor | B．speaker | C．worker | D．member |
| A．dressed | B．prepared | C．known | D．equipped |
| A．formed | B．recalled | C．delivered | D．appreciated |
| A．blamed | B．praised | C．discovered | D．approached |
| A．interrupted | B．apologized | C．stopped | D．coughed |
| A．caught on | B．brought out | C．stepped on | D．broke down |
| A．speechless | B．hopeless | C．confused | D．frightened |
| A．ready for | B．nervous about | C．careful about | D．aware of |
| A．in reply | B．in vain | C．in return | D．in place |
| A．ignored | B．mentioned | C．used | D．accepted |
| A．regretting | B．failing | C．pretending | D．promising |
| A．ridiculous | B．impressive | C．accessible | D．crucial |
| A．sale | B．income | C．deposit | D．loss |
| A．private | B．false | C．inadequate | D．illegal |
| A．Besides | B．Therefore | C．Nevertheless | D．Instead |
| A．expects | B．continues | C．deserves | D．tends |
| A．motivation | B．confidence | C．energy | D．experience |
| A．embarrass | B．challenge | C．misunderstand | D．tolerate |
| A．suitably | B．normally | C．directly | D．frequently |
5 . I was 40, with two adorable children and a caring husband. And I’m enjoying a challenging but
The chaos of the family kitchen was
So, I journeyed, for the first time in a decade, without my husband or kids. I went with a friend to
I found
I came home to
I’m not finding myself, but I’m creating myself. I need the storm as much as I need the quietness.
| A．disastrous | B．fun | C．dull | D．tough |
| A．comforting | B．approving | C．disturbing | D．appealing |
| A．demands | B．solutions | C．assumptions | D．references |
| A．originally | B．apparently | C．potentially | D．briefly |
| A．separate | B．accessible | C．different | D．mixed |
| A．volunteer | B．hike | C．settle | D．wander |
| A．understand | B．picture | C．suppose | D．question |
| A．trapped | B．replaced | C．freed | D．drove |
| A．warned | B．reminded | C．consulted | D．promised |
| A．as if | B．even though | C．so | D．when |
| A．confidence | B．value | C．silence | D．happiness |
| A．shared | B．painful | C．troubled | D．glorious |
| A．concern | B．attitude | C．life | D．appearance |
| A．advocate | B．shoulder | C．launch | D．create |
| A．indeed | B．just | C．only | D．even |
| A．doubt | B．noise | C．peace | D．experience |
| A．specifically | B．casually | C．hard | D．randomly |
| A．design | B．pattern | C．path | D．belief |
| A．Pleasure | B．Strength | C．Spirit | D．Pressure |
| A．aside | B．off | C．back | D．on |
6 . When I win at my favourite games, my opponents tend to say: ‘OH, you’re so competitive!’ But when I lose, they smile good-naturedly and say: ‘Bad luck! Good game!’
This suggests that accurate sporting expressions should go something like this:
I am sporty.
You are competitive.
They can’t bear to lose.
Or:
I gave it a go.
You did your best.
He tried desperately hard.
I’m not saying I don’t have a competitive personality. We all do. On walks, I like to be out in front. In traffic jams, I find myself focusing on cars in other lanes, and fret if they edge ahead of me. I tense up while waiting for trains, determined to be first aboard. The other day, I was one of the first to board a train, grabbing a perfect spot in first class. Yes, I had won! Just halfway, I went to get a free drink for a first-class seat from the buffet. But I had left my ticket on my table. I worked out that, if I moved very swiftly, I could nip (快走) through two carriages, and nip back without anyone taking my place at the front of the queue.
So I rushed back, picking up my ticket, and turned back. I was at the beginning of the second carriage, when, to my horror, I noticed, another figure, roughly my size, shooting towards the buffet from the other direction.
Desperate to arrive before he did, I started walking faster. But at exactly the same moment, he started walking faster, too. Trying to retain my dignity, I broke into a running. Whatever happened, I was determined to win! But, annoyingly, at the same time as I sped up, so did he. The race was on.
Finally, in my rush, I knocked into a suitcase and stumbled slightly. Still with my eyes on my challenger, I noticed that-strange but true-exactly the same thing had happened to him.
It was only as we both lifted ourselves up in exactly the same way that I realised that, throughout the race, I had been looking at a reflection of myself in the sliding door!
My competitor for first place in the buffet queue was...me.
1. Which sporting expression can replace “Bad luck! Good game!” in paragraph 1?| A．I gave it a go. | B．You did your best. |
| C．You are competitive. | D．He tried desperately hard. |
| A．Get anxious. | B．Become relaxed. | C．Feel disappointed. | D．Remain excited. |
| A．He never fails to beat anyone in his life. |
| B．He has a gift for games and competitions. |
| C．He is sporty but often aggressive to others. |
| D．He is highly competitive and desperate to win. |
| A．Sad competitor? I can surely beat myself |
| B．Bad loser? No, but I can be a first-class fool |
| C．Competitiveness works? Not in my case |
| D．More haste? It will only result in less speed |
Asad was a 13-year-old boy who was very honest and hardworking. Recently, he had entered a new school, so he had no friends yet. On Monday morning, he was nearly late for school. The night before, his family attended his cousin’s wedding and reached home late, which was why he couldn’t get up on time as usual.
At school, Asad could not pay attention to anything and wanted the bell to ring so that he could buy something to eat. After a few hours, when the bell rang, Asad quickly opened his schoolbag to find his money, but just then he remembered that he had left for school in a hurry in the morning and forgotten to take money. He looked under his books, hoping to find some money but there was nothing.
Not knowing what to do, he walked out of the classroom and sat on a bench in front of the canteen. He saw a few of his classmates there, among them was Fahad. He was one of the richest kids in his class, but he was a very arrogant(傲慢的)boy who thought everyone else was a loser. But as Asad was new, he didn’t know much about Fahad.
When he went towards Fahad and asked if he could borrow some money for his lunch, Fahad laughed a lot and said, “I knew you were a loser, maybe a beggar?” Fahad laughed out so loud that other kids also heard and made fun of the situation. He didn’t answer Fahad, and slowly walked back towards an empty bench.
When he reached the bench, he noticed something lying near it. It was a wallet. He picked it up and recognized it as Fahad’s, as he remembered Fahad showing it to his friends and telling that his uncle bought it for him from the UK. There was quite a lot of money inside for a kid.
At first, Asad wanted to keep it a secret and punished Fahad.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Then Fahad said, “Why are you giving back?”
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . Before I started high school my parents gave me the greatest gift any teenage boy could ask for: a cell phone. I
The views during the trip were amazing, but none of those mattered to me. My mind was on my phone. I remembered the first time I looked up was for something shocking—my phone had no service. My dad said that it would be
I realized being
Whenever I feel my inner self is slipping away, I follow my dad’s guidance. I pack up the tent and drive until my phone shows those two magic words: “no service”.
1.| A．wished for | B．applied for | C．lived on | D．learned from |
| A．impression | B．displeasure | C．impoliteness | D．embarrassment |
| A．revised | B．rented | C．mistaken | D．planned |
| A．However | B．Besides | C．Therefore | D．Otherwise |
| A．mobile | B．private | C．missing | D．useless |
| A．trapped | B．punished | C．trained | D．attended |
| A．appeared | B．ended | C．changed | D．formed |
| A．Because of | B．Apart from | C．Along with | D．Instead of |
| A．cleaned up | B．focused on | C．contributed to | D．showed off |
| A．close | B．blind | C．similar | D．new |
| A．contacts | B．parents | C．thoughts | D．sighs |
| A．dream | B．lesson | C．stressor | D．trial |
| A．understood | B．wondered | C．recorded | D．preferred |
| A．painful | B．impossible | C．unreasonable | D．obvious |
| A．appreciated | B．convinced | C．recognized | D．connected |
“Once there was a ship travelling on the tough sea and on the ship there was a pair of couple. All of a sudden, the ship met with an accident and the couple had no choice but to run to the life boat without delay. After reaching there, they realized that there was space only for one person. At that very moment, the husband pushed his wife behind him and jumped onto the lifeboat himself, leaving his wife standing on the sinking ship, shouting something desperately to her husband eyes filled with tears.”
The teacher stopped her story-telling and asked her students, “Guys, guess what it was that she shouted.”
Most students answered. “I hate you!”
After listening to all this reply, the teacher glanced through the whole class again and noticed that there was a boy sitting silently throughout. Then she asked him the same question.
The boy answered, “I believe she would have shouted-Take care of our child.”
Listening to his remarks, the teacher was surprised and asked the boy doubtfully. “Have you heard of this story before?”
Shaking his head, the boy said softly and sadly, “No, I haven’t. But that’s what my mother said to my father before she died of a deadly disease.”
Moved and feeling sad, the teacher replied. “Your answer is absolutely right!”
Then she continued, “Let’s take up the story. The ship sank eventually and the husband went home and brought up their daughter alone. Many years later after the death of the man, their daughter was tidying up all his belongings when she found his diary. In his diary she found that when her parents were on the ship, her mother had already been diagnosed (诊断) with advanced illness and at the critical moment, the father rushed to the only chance of survival.”
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。
In his diary, the man mentioned he wished to sink to the ocean with his wife but for their daughter he had to live.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The story was finished and the class was silent.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was the first week of Lily’s middle school. The bell’s ringing brought her out of her daydreaming. She nervously gathered her books, preparing to reach another classroom for the next new class.
Lily followed the other kids and rushed into the hallway. Others walked in groups, chatted, and laughed, using the break to socialize. Lily, instead, walked alone along the wall of the hallway, with her head down. She was a shy girl, afraid to speak in front of other kids, and didn’t think others would like her.
Lily finally sat in Mr. Johnson’s Language Arts class nervously. “Welcome to Language Arts,” said Mr. Johnson. He told jokes as he talked about English. Lily forgot to daydream and laughed along with the rest of the class. “We’ll have some fun with language,” he said. “Just wait and see.”
Fun was far beyond what Lily desired. She just wanted to be like other kids—running with friends in the hallway, laughing and joking between classes. Reminded of her pimply (长粉刺的) face, she felt hopeless and disappointed.
“Take out a piece of paper,” the teacher continued, when pointing at words on the blackboard. “Write for the next thirty minutes on this topic.” Lily began writing crazily as idea after idea fought for recognition in her head. The final result was a short story about a beautiful beach house. As she wrote, she could smell the salty air, hear the crashing waves and feel the pull of the sand beneath her feet. For just a moment, she forgot where she was. She was lost in the story.
“OK, pass your papers forward,” said the teacher. “Let’s see what we have.” For the rest of the class time, the teacher read each individual work aloud. Lily originally thought it would be awkward. However, she was gradually attracted by the excitement in the teacher’s voice. “He’s actually enjoying this,” she thought. When the class would be soon over, there were still fifteen students’ papers not read, including Lily’s paper. Then, Mr. Johnson announced his decision, asking these students to read their work themselves in front of the class next class.
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。
Paragraph 1:
A week later, the bell rang and the Language Arts class began again.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
After Lily finished her reading, the clapping from her classmates continued for a long time.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
