1 . Age is truly just a number if our hearts are young. Lee Minor, an 85-year-old retired psychologist, has
“I like to run in all kinds of
Minor’s enthusiasm for running is
Last fall, Robert graduated from the university, despite the challenges of his illness. “When I went across the stage, and as I’m getting my
The stories of Minor and Robert are reminders that age and illness need not
A.proven | B.approved | C.won | D.imagined |
A.starting | B.center | C.finishing | D.bottom |
A.depressed | B.thrilled | C.calm | D.uneasy |
A.weather | B.zones | C.illness | D.phases |
A.position | B.footprints | C.reflections | D.route |
A.infectious | B.temporary | C.blind | D.restricted |
A.wait | B.abandon | C.exist | D.run |
A.award | B.suspend | C.quit | D.pursue |
A.powerful | B.visible | C.boring | D.accurate |
A.uniform | B.application | C.certificate | D.license |
A.slid away | B.gave up | C.broke in | D.choked out |
A.emotional | B.identical | C.financial | D.abstract |
A.enjoy | B.reject | C.doubt | D.expect |
A.save | B.define | C.distinguish | D.witness |
A.scholarship | B.fitness | C.passion | D.career |
In our weekly staff meeting, our editor Ashley was not pleased with the quality of our reporting. “Our readership is way down. We need better stories for this Thursday’s school newspaper. Does anybody have any ideas?” she said.
I handed her my article about our basketball team beating Deerfield High School the previous night by one point. “Sports stories are fun,” she said, “but not good enough for the front page. We need something to really get people ‘s attention.”
After our meeting, we left the newsroom together and heard someone screaming, “Perry is missing!” Perry was a big red parrot and had been our school mascot (吉祥物) for ten years. He played an important role in students’ lives, both in and out of class. He had also been a constant presence at school events, inspiring a sense of unity among students.
Everyone gathered around Perry’s empty cage, heartbroken. Suddenly, a student from the crowd came over and showed me a photo. “You’re a reporter for the school paper, right? I happened to take this yesterday,” he said. In the photo was a Deerfield High School basketball player with something large hidden under his shirt around the size of a parrot.
“He must have stolen Perry to get back at us for winning the game!” Ashley cried. We hurried back to the newsroom, agreeing to run the photo on the front page with the headline “Deerfeld Stole Perry.” “This is just the story we need. Everyone will read it,” Ashley said confidently.
After she left, I took a closer look at the photo. The clock in the background read 4:15 pm, but our game against Deerfield hadn’t started until 4:30 pm. Why would the boy have taken Perry before we even played? An uneasy feeling came over me that we might have falsely accused someone.
I went to Perry’s usual caretaker to ask if he knew Perry was missing. ”He’s not missing. He’s retired. He’s ready for some quieter days,“ he said. Learning the truth, I immediately told Ashley and suggested writing a story to say goodbye to Perry.
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。
To my surprise, Ashley insisted on reporting the “Deerfield Stole Perry” story.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On Thursday, the paper came out with the headline “Bye-Bye, Perry” on the front page.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . I enjoy throwing stuff away. I’d love to go full minimalism (极简主义), but my wife and two teenage kids do not share my dream of a house with almost nothing in it. I have tried. When the kids were little, I taught them my two favorite games – “Do We Need It?” and “Put It in Its Place”– and made them play every few months. Their enthusiasm never matched mine.
If I’m going to be honest, my own tidying skills are not as great as I’d like. My “discarded” pile is never quite the trash mountain I want because I make up excuses for why things are useful. I consider this unhealthy. I want to be better at moving on.
So, this time I found help – the classics for people like me: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo. Kondo’s commitment to her craft is astonishing. Her philosophy is only to keep things you love. Can I go full Kondo? I will try. One central idea is to clean by category. You start by collecting all clothes and gathering them together for consideration. It makes you rethink how you organize. Next, hold each item and ask if it brings you joy. This way you’re choosing what to keep. And that’s how I find myself with all my clothes on my bedroom floor. My wife walks by and gives me a look that says I’m nuts. She’s probably not wrong.
Somewhere near the bottom of this chaos is my special jacket. I move through the pile: pants, shirts, suits and shoes. Then my last category: jackets. I haven’t worn the thing in about 30 years. Somehow, it has survived. Now that I’m striving to follow Kondo – surely, its time has come?
I hold it in my hand. There is a tear just below the collar that widens as I hold it. It’s literally falling apart. Will I ever wear it again? Not a chance. Does it feel good to wear? Does it bring me joy? Actually, yes. At this moment, my daughter walks in. She asks about the jacket. I tell her the story. She thinks I should keep it. It’s cool and unique and full of memories. She is arguing that nostalgia (怀念) is the very reason.
I’m not entirely convinced by my daughter’s arguments. I believe in looking ahead, not backward. Nevertheless, sometimes it’s hard to let go. So I gently place the jacket on the “keep” pile.
1. What does the underlined word “discarded” probably mean in Paragraph 2?A.adjusted | B.reserved | C.abandoned | D.tidied |
A.To learn how to categorize. | B.To improve his tidying skills. |
C.To persuade his family members. | D.To develop passion for minimalism. |
A.They don’t understand it. | B.They completely support it. |
C.They are strongly opposed to it. | D.They are less passionate about it. |
A.Knowing when to let go | B.Classifying what you love |
C.Throwing worn-out clothes | D.Keeping valuable possessions |
4 . Egyptian table tennis player Ibrahim Hamadtou didn’t win a medal, or even score a victory. But he has become one of the most
Hamadtou lost his
After several
He first competed at the Rio Paralympics, and was finally able to fulfill his lifelong
In Tokyo, he lost to a Chinese player and a player from South Korea,
“I want to tell everybody that nothing is
A.interesting | B.inspiring | C.depressing | D.surprising |
A.parents | B.legs | C.arms | D.friends |
A.reduce | B.beat | C.lose | D.fall |
A.in shape | B.held up | C.shut up | D.in comfort |
A.intense | B.tiring | C.noisy | D.dangerous |
A.thoughts | B.matches | C.injuries | D.attempts |
A.practice | B.failure | C.waiting | D.challenge |
A.start | B.hit | C.serve | D.ball |
A.chance | B.journey | C.road | D.dream |
A.earn | B.pay | C.deserve | D.give |
A.developed | B.adopted | C.demonstrated | D.extended |
A.abandoning | B.ending | C.winning | D.joining |
A.example | B.message | C.quote | D.lesson |
A.unfortunate | B.comfortable | C.meaningful | D.impossible |
A.disability | B.pity | C.suffering | D.belief |
In the spring sun, my aunt and I headed for her flower shop. Normally I would be delighted to help in her shop, but not recently because of Rosa. Rosa was my sister, just one month old, who was settled in my old bedroom. For ten years, the small room was full of my toys and books. But now it was transformed into her baby room, decorated like a garden with pinks and yellows. My space, my old life, was gone.
“Here we are!” We arrived at the shop, a wave of colour and sweet smell washing over me. My aunt said I could pick some flowers for Mum and Dad. I used to love this, but today I was so overcome with tiredness and envy. Why bother to bring them flowers when they were enjoying Rosa at home without me?
Silently I helped my aunt arrange flowers. “Your mum told me there hasn’t been much shut eye recently for any of you.” “Not much, since Rosa the alarm clock was installed (安装).” I complained with a huge yawn (哈欠).
“I remember having to creep (蹑手蹑脚地走) around like a worn-out mouse when your mum was a baby. I spent the first months hating her so much.” “But you and Mum seem so close,” I said, guiltily hiding away my envy of Rosa.
“Now we are. But it took me years to grow into the role of big sister. Few flowers blossom (绽放) overnight, you know.” She pulled me in for aside hug, glancing up at the clock, and suggested I take a walk outside.
Behind her shop was a field dotted with spring flowers. Stepping into the field, I began to pick little flowers. It was like gathering my childhood memories. I remembered how I’d sit with Dad, making flower chains, crowning (授予) each other with the silliest titles: Queen of Junk Food and King of Mess. My smile grew wider. The shining yellow flowers reminded me of the color in Rosa’s baby room. Was she awake? I wondered.
注意:1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卷的相应位置作答。
Suddenly I saw two familiar figures walking towards me.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Rosa was wide awake in her baby basket beside the picnic blanket.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I remember being happy for my friend Avery when she won the karate (空手道) championship we’d both competed in. But I’m embarrassed to admit I was also pretty envious! But when she and I tried out for Alice in Wonderland, though, things went the opposite way.
“I really hope I get picked to be Alice,” said Avery.
“You’d make a great Alice!” I said. “I don’t care what part I get as long as I’m in it.” “So you’d be happy to have a small part like the Dormouse?” she asked.
“Exactly!” I said.
A few days later, Avery and I raced over to the theater office, where the director had posted the cast list.
“Wow!” said Avery. “You got the part of Alice and I got the part of the Dormouse.”
“That can’t be right,” I said. “There must be some mistake!”
But I really and truly was given the part of Alice. I’m pretty sure the reason I’d done well is that I hadn’t been nervous at all during the audition (试镜). And the reason I hadn’t been nervous is that it hadn’t even occurred to me that I could get the major role.
“Do you want to come over after school and we can practice our lines?” I asked.
“You mean practice your lines?” Avery said, not even looking at me. “No, thanks. I’m pretty busy this week.”
“OK,” I said. “How about some day next week?”
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I’m pretty sure I’m busy forever.”
That night at dinner, after my parents congratulated me for getting the lead role, they asked how I felt about it.
“Well, I’m confused,” I said. “Avery was so upset that I was picked to be Alice, she pretty much threw away our friendship.”
“Hmm,” said my mum. “Arizona, don’t you think this might be an opportunity for you to be an extra-good friend?” “Sometimes when our friends do well, we feel envious and don’t know how to act. Try giving her a little time and understanding. I bet she’ll come around before too long.”
Over the following rehearsals (排练), Avery kept ignoring me on purpose.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
She smiled. “I think I might be free on Thursday.”
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 . There isn’t a book that I always
This Christmas, then, the following unchanging ritual (仪式) will be
When he did this the first time our children were
“Richard Burton is the best,” my husband then cut in
My husband will sonorously (洪亮地)
“It is a spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black…”
Filled with seasonal feeling and wonder as any bible reading or carol, the best bit for me is watching my children’s faces as the
This is as much a part of Christmas as a Festival of Ten Lessons and Carols from Kings to all my family, and this is
“Time passes. Listen. Time passes. Only you can hear the houses sleeping in the streets in the slow deep salt and silent black, bandaged night. ”
Of course, on the face of it, Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales is the more
All is dark, all is bright in both, but the one I ponder
A.rely | B.return | C.reply | D.repeat |
A.song | B.dance | C.lyric | D.music |
A.integral | B.extra | C.optional | D.compulsory |
A.experimental | B.annual | C.daily | D.unusual |
A.opposed | B.outweighed | C.observed | D.obsessed |
A.toy | B.poem | C.record | D.trick |
A.puzzled | B.scared | C.amazed | D.calm |
A.in term of | B.as though | C.in that | D.even though |
A.happily | B.peacefully | C.hurriedly | D.confidently |
A.tones | B.sounds | C.sighs | D.whispers |
A.adapting | B.assuming | C.avoiding | D.arming |
A.lead in | B.join in | C.take in | D.sink in |
A.timeless | B.priceless | C.worthless | D.lifeless |
A.under | B.beneath | C.via | D.without |
A.when | B.what | C.where | D.why |
A.coal | B.ice | C.oil | D.flame |
A.admirable | B.appropriate | C.acknowledged | D.apparent |
A.winding | B.promising | C.closing | D.stopping |
A.woke | B.suicided | C.died | D.slept |
A.in | B.over | C.across | D.beyond |
The Christmas holidays were fast approaching, and we had ordered many gifts online. So, when the doorbell rang, I was sure some of the packages had arrived. I ran to the door and swung it open, but no one was there. I sensed something and looked down, only to find a beautiful calico kitten (杂色猫) sitting there, looking up at me with big, intelligent eyes. There was no way that she could have rung the doorbell by herself, was there?
We figured that someone had found the kitten somewhere and left her there, and then rang the doorbell and ran away. They accurately guessed we would welcome an additional family member and take care of her.
My husband called her our little angel, so we named her accordingly. She had a calm aura (气质) about her as she walked straight into our home and hearts, fitting in perfectly. It seemed as if she was always meant to be in this big house with us. She was an old soul and turned out to be the perfect companion. Always by my side, she was more like a puppy than a kitten. Wise beyond her years, she enjoyed wandering through the tunnels and mysterious rooms as much as I did, but with much less fear. Angelica the calico was courageous.
So, I took a page from her book and decided to be brave, too. There was an underground stone cellar (地窖) I had been eager to explore. The only way in was down a rickety (摇晃的) ladder to its murky depths. I guessed it was an old root cellar, probably twelve feet deep.
I had promised my husband that I wouldn’t explore dangerous areas unless he or someone else was around. Though I knew I was stretching it, I figured that Angelica would count as my companion. I was ready to explore this cellar, and so was she.
I equipped myself with a good flashlight and warm clothes, and carefully started down the rickety ladder while Angelica was looking down at me from above. Faint crack and sudden crash were what I could remember.
注意:
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1
I woke up with pieces of the rotting, broken ladder lying around me on the stone cellar floor.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2
It seemed my companion, Angelica, was my last hope.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At the age of 17, I formed a band with three classmates. After we won the first prize at our school’s talent show, we decided to see if we could get some local performances. When we found out we’d gotten booked for a charitable event at a large hospital, we were excited. For two weeks, we practiced hard, getting together every day after school to sharpen our skills and learn enough songs to fill a one-hour show.
On the day of the concert, we showed up early to check out the stage. We set up and did a quick sound check, then went backstage to have a soda and rest. While we were back there, the hospital’s entertainment director came over to talk to us.
“Okay, boys, I just want to fill you in on a couple of important details,” she told us. “A lot of the people in the audience are suffering from severe physical or mental disabilities. Also, many of them are very old. Don’t let that alarm you. They have very few chances to see live entertainment of any kind, so they enjoy any kind of musical talent. Just play your regular show, and you’ll do fine.” With that, she left, going to help the volunteers and staff that were assisting the patients to their seats.
Soon enough, it was showtime. Everything was perfect, and we played probably the best show of our lives. We hardly missed a note on any of our songs. Unfortunately, we couldn’t enjoy our performance. As each song finished, there was a short pause. This was the time when the audience would normally applaud. Now, we were getting nothing. Zero. The deafening silence only made us more determined to win the audience over. We tried harder. Loud songs, soft songs, it made no difference. After forty-five minutes, we decided to end our set early. Why bother finishing when no one was appreciating us anyway? We unplugged (拔去) our instruments and went backstage.
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 moment later, the entertainment director ran back to us.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Returning to the stage, we played our final three songs.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
High—school sports is the biggest thing that happens in our town of Verden, population six hundred. Sports are important in our family. Both of our sons were high—school athletes. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when Lauren announced she was going out for the girls’ basketball team, but I was because she has Down syndrome(唐氏综合征). My wife and I never told Lauren that she was different, treating her like our other children.
“I’m gonna play basketball, Daddy.” Lauren flew into my arms when I came in from work. “That’s nice, honey,” I replied automatically and patted her, figuring she meant outside—on the driveway.
Walking into the kitchen, I met my wife Laura, whose frown indicated I’d missed something. Laura spoke slowly, her tone steady. “She meant she’s joining the girls’ high—school basketball team.”
Just as her words sank in, I heard Lauren behind me. “I’m gonna be a Lady Tiger,” she yelled, skipping into the room and throwing her arms in the air. Everything that could happen flashed through my mind. I discussed Lauren’s announcement with my wife that evening and finally agreed. After all, there were only 11 girls, not everyone willing to play.
The next afternoon, I parked in front of the school gymnasium. Inside, Coach Forsythe greeted us, “We’re glad Lauren came out for the team. She is not just a cheerleader!” Lauren stood alone at the other end of the court, shooting free throws. No other girl on the court grinned(咧嘴笑)like Lauren did, and after every shot, Lauren approvingly cried, “Woo hoo!”, seemingly not caring if she made the basket or not.
Mid-November, the season’s first basketball game arrived. I settled into a seat with the rest of my family. The game got off to a good start, but soon Lady Tigers was behind. Lauren followed the movement on the court and reacted to every play. Even though Lauren wasn’t playing, she looked as if she were having the time of her life. I felt admiration for my daughter. Plus, her team was getting beat, yet she still enjoyed the action. Just less than two minutes left, and Lady Tigers was down by seventeen points.
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。
Still in high spirits, Lauren cheered for Lady Tigers off the court.
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Then a teammate passed Lauren the ball.
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