I walked to Mrs. Windsor’s house as I always did when I heard the piano. Before ringing the bell, I stood against the wall and sighed sadly. I daydreamed what I’d rather be doing. I had been tutored enough to read, understand, and even write some musical compositions, but I just didn’t have a gift for it. But Mrs. Windsor had offered to give me the lessons for free, so I felt it my duty to try.
The door opened. I walked in, sat down on the piano bench and began to sort through my sheet music. Today Mrs. Windsor introduced her niece Pasha to teach me. With a smile, Pasha sat beside me on the piano bench, opened my sheet music to the beginning page and asked me to play. I arranged my fingers on the keys. Then I frowned (皱眉) and concentrated to make the notes on the page match the finger movements. I had to admit I was a rather mechanical pianist.
After about a page or two, Pasha gently put her hand on top of mine as if to calm my fingers. There was a long pause. “Jennifer, what are you hearing in the music?” I looked at her rather strangely and admitted I didn’t know what she meant.
“Here, let me try and you listen,” Pasha advised.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting her fingers dance lightly over the keys. Then, she began to play.
“See, it begins here beside some kind of river. Hear the water flowing beside you?”
Her fingers rose and fell gently on the keys. “Now the princess appears and she’s picking flowers from the water’s edge.” A happy piece of music filled the air in time to Pasha’s dancing fingers. “Oh, but she slips!” The music changed. “And our princess is being carried off by the fast-flowing stream. Quickly, the princess’ horse sees her plight (困境) and races to the river’s edge where he swims out to let her catch hold of him. Luckily, they make it to the bank and she hugs her faithful horse.” Pasha finished with a big smile and then looked at me.
I was delighted and advised to try another one. Pasha smiled and together we played many pieces of music that afternoon, finding the stories in the music and learning that sometimes it takes a friend to pull you out of the river onto dry land again.
1. Why did the author sigh sadly? (no more than 15 words)2. How did Pasha inspire the author to play the piano? (no more than 8 words)
3. What made the music change in Pasha’s playing? (no more than 10 words)
4. Please explain the meaning of the underlined sentence. (no more than 15 words)
5. What do you think of Pasha? Why? (no more than 25 words)
2 . On many days I admit that I feel depressed, days when it seems that the efforts, the struggles, and the sacrifices of so many people fighting for social and environmental justice, fighting prejudice and racism, are fighting a losing battle.
But without hope, all is lost. It is a crucial survival character that has supported our species from the time of our Stone Age ancestors. Certainly, my own improbable journey would have been impossible if I had lacked hope.
Like all people who live long enough, I have been through many dark periods and seen so much suffering. I was in New York on that terrible day in 2001. I still can remember the disbelief, the fear, the confusion as the city went quiet except the whistles of the police cars and ambulances on the streets emptied of people.
It was ten years after that day that I was introduced to the Survivor Tree, a Callery pear tree discovered a month after the collapse of the towers. All that was left was half a trunk that had been burned black, with roots that were broken and only one living branch.
She was almost sent to the dump, but the young woman who found her, Rebecca Clough, begged that the tree be given a chance. And so she went to be cared for in a nursery in the Bronx. Bringing that seriously damaged tree back to health was not an easy task, and it was touch-and-go for a while. But whenever you give her a chance, nature returns. Eventually the tree made it. In the spring, her branches are bright with blossoms. I’ve seen people looking at her and wiping away tears. She is a symbol of the resilience (适应力) of nature — and a reminder of all that was lost on that terrible day 20 years ago.
The Survivor Tree, brought back from the dead, had not only put out new leaves herself but also nurtured (养育) the lives of others. Now do you understand how I dare hope?
1. What can we know about the author?| A．She wanted to fight for justice. |
| B．She once lost hope in her journey. |
| C．She felt hopeful despite many difficulties. |
| D．She planned to remove prejudice and racism. |
| A．Scared and annoyed. | B．Frightened and shocked. |
| C．Thrilled and desperate. | D．Disappointed and puzzled. |
| A．The tree was slightly damaged. | B．The tree nearly got abandoned. |
| C．The tree was destroyed on the spot. | D．The tree got nothing but a trunk left. |
| A．To call on people to protect nature. |
| B．To show the great strength of a tree. |
| C．To expect people to care for damaged trees. |
| D．To share the author’s reasons to keep optimistic. |
My name is Brooke Parsons, and the story of my life is different. One day, in April, 1993, I was home alone when I had a stroke. When my parents came home, they took me to the hospital to learn what lay ahead for all of us. The stroke has left me with permanent brain damage. The doctors suggested I quit school. However, I chose the opposite.
After returning to high school, I learned very slowly. I had to decide whether or not to complete the twelfth grade in 2 years. Thinking I would fail if I chose to do it in one year, finally I made my decision. The staff at school were very supportive and helped me through the rough times. Finally, I graduated from high school. Graduating from high school was a huge achievement for me. That was an opportunity for me to be really proud of just how far I had come with all the odds I had to beat.
I can now walk, talk, dress myself, feed myself and be the independent person I am today. I have achieved my VCE and I am now at university, studying to be a social worker. I have been a scholarship winner. I have become a life-long member of the local musical band. All of these achievements are beyond my imagination. Now I am even in a novel called Second Chances by Neil Mitchall.
I could have easily listened to the doctors when I first had my stroke, but I decided I was going to prove them wrong as they did not know me, nor did they know just how determined I would be.
It’s a big world out there. I have done and achieved so much and never once will I allow the odds to get the better of me, as there is still a whole lot more things out there for me to do. I love life and I am living it to the maximum
1. How was the author affected by the stroke? (no more than 6 words)2. What decision did he make after returning to school? (no more than 10 words)
3. What did the authors efforts bring him? (no more than 10 words)
4. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean? (no more than 10 words)
5. What do you think of the author and why? (no more than 20 words)
My dad is a kind, gentle man, and a man of few words. Throughout my life, he offered advice rarely. But the words were always appropriate to the situation I was facing.
As a teen when I struggled with making sense of the world around me, he said, “All things are relative.” He taught me the right view of the world. When I was offered the opportunity to be a manager of an organization as an undergraduate student, I asked him for advice because he was a senior manager of a large company. His advice was simple, “Only when you become the manager can you have a vision for how you can make the organization better; management isn’t about power and it’s about leadership.” I learned what I needed was not only to be responsible for my team but also to have leading ability. When I was feeling down, he explained, “Think that you make the wrong choices in life, sometimes.”
My dad is 86 now, living on his own and enjoying life while struggling with the challenges that aging brings. He keeps a positive attitude despite long pain and the losses that come in life. Although we live quite far away from each other, we talk daily on the phone, and he shares the joys of my young family. As I tell him how we’re heading off cycling or on a trip or out to play tennis, now his typical response is, “Do it while you can.” This is very important. We can’t be sure of the future. My father’s advice is like the ancient dictum（格言）of “ carpe diem”— seize the day and enjoy it to the fullest.
My dad rarely “lectured me”. He trusted me, and helped me when I needed help. His patience and wisdom have been true gifts in my life. As I doubt my ability and my motivation, I recall his most recent gift of wisdom, “Do it while you can”. It’s enough to “just get me started”.
1. Why did the author’s dad tell him “All things are relative.”? (No more than 10 words)2. What qualities should a manager have according to the author? (No more than 5 words)
3. What is the purpose of the author’s father talking with him on the phone every day? (No more than 10 words)
4. How do you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph? (No more than 10 words)
5. How do you feel about the ancient dictum of “carpe diem”? (No more than 20 words)
