1 . Table Talk
As we got out of the car, our son announced, “Phones stay in the car.”
“Why do you always have to tell us that?” complained our fifteen-year-old grandson.
Our son’s wife winked at us and then explained, “We have a family
We
The silence was broken when the six of us sat down, and started talking. The waitress stood patiently and waited for our orders. When our food came, we continued to chat.
An elderly couple at the next table were finishing their dinners and conversing quietly. I noticed that they shot us a few glances, and wondered if our constant chatter was annoying them.
After the dessert, my son signaled the waitress for the check. She hesitated when she brought the black folder to our table. My son opened the black folder — it was
“There isn’t one. Someone else
“Why?” asked our son, his wife and myself at once.
“They loved it that no one was connected.” she continued. “They loved watching you guys
For a moment, everyone at our table was at a loss for
“They left after you ordered dessert,” the waitress replied.
We spent the next fifteen minutes discussing this goodness and camp up with a
| A．rule | B．appointment | C．discussion | D．goal |
| A．closed | B．returned | C．sent | D．locked |
| A．sweetness | B．quietness | C．patience | D．preference |
| A．smiling | B．knocking | C．staring | D．pointing |
| A．special | B．strange | C．typical | D．empty |
| A．paid | B．served | C．managed | D．changed |
| A．eat | B．talk | C．argue | D．work |
| A．directions | B．choices | C．words | D．ideas |
| A．schedule | B．message | C．task | D．plan |
| A．without | B．by | C．through | D．for |
One morning, I told my husband jokingly that he’d dropped the ball because by that moment he
Kieran Behan was just a boy, maybe 6 years old, when he fell in love with gymnastics, but that was before a series of injuries, two so severe that doctors told him he would never walk again.
Yet Behan, pushed on. “Doctors told me, ‘stop thinking about your crazy dreams and you must accept that it’s over for you,’” Behan said. “But I just kept saying: ‘No, no, no — this is not the rest of my life. This is not how it’s going to play out.’ And look at me now, an Olympian. They said it was impossible, but I did it.”
Kieran Behan started gymnastics when he was 8. But soon came the first of many blows: during a leg operation, a doctor’s mistake caused a severe nerve damage that left Behan with limited feeling in his left foot. Doctors told him to prepare himself for life in a wheelchair.
They were wrong.
Although it took 15 months, Behan went back to gymnastics. But eight months after he returned from his leg injury, disaster hit again. He hit the back of his head during training. The accident caused a brain injury which affected his balance so much that even the slightest movement could cause Behan to faint. Mearly two years after non-stop physical therapy, Kieran Behan did what he did best: he picked himself up again. He said he could not live without gymnastics and never doubted he would be back.
Finally, in 2012, his determination began to pay off. His excellent performance at the Olympic test event qualified him for the Games. “I felt like I was in a fairy tale,” he said of the London Games. “All I could think about was: ‘Is this a dream? Tell me this is really happening.’” Even though be did not enter any of the event finals, Behan never lost heart and persevered to make it for the 2016 Olympic Games at Rio de Janeiro.
Behan hopes his tale might inspire others to overcome hardship, whether it is in sports, at work or at home.
Still, he struggled to explain why he has been so unbeatable. “I think it’s probably just in my blood,” he said. “I was just born to do this.”
1. What happened during Behan’s leg operation?2. In what way did Behan’s brain injury influence him?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Because of Behan’s determination, he won at the finals in the London Games.
4. Do you think Behan is a great athlete? Why or why not? (In about 40 words)
4 . I glanced to my left and right as I got ready at the starting line. The sight of other competitors who had confident and fierce-looking faces got me goose bumps and I was even more
“On your mark, get set... Go!” shouted the race official. I pushed myself forward with all my might and started running as though a pride of man-eating lions were coming after me. As I ran, I could see the other competitors catching up with me. All of a sudden, I fell down on my knees. A hundred pairs of eyes bored into me, watching me
“No, it cannot end like this. I have to
Out of despair, I gazed up at the finishing line. Just then, a kind competitor
“Thank you...” I whispered
She lent me her shoulder for support, and I
Even though I never got the chance to learn her name, I will always remember her as the one who stepped forward to help me when I was in
| A．tired | B．confused | C．nervous | D．regretful |
| A．attempt | B．hesitate | C．wait | D．pretend |
| A．As | B．But | C．So | D．Because |
| A．organize | B．evaluate | C．appreciate | D．complete |
| A．defeated | B．inspired | C．shocked | D．relaxed |
| A．waved | B．extended | C．showed | D．pointed |
| A．proudly | B．cautiously | C．awkwardly | D．gratefully |
| A．moved | B．fell | C．bent | D．looked |
| A．partnership | B．sportsmanship | C．leadership | D．friendship |
| A．anger | B．doubt | C．need | D．silence |
Christmas was near. I walked away from my school and followed the worn path through the trees onto the street
One day, Marcus didn’t bring his books back. He looked so sad that he was about to cry. When asked why, he said that he
7 . When I tried out for the football team during the summer before 9th grade, I never imagined how important this sport would become in my life. Football is a
In the first year, I played on the defensive line. This was an amazing
In September, during my junior year, my name was mentioned in the local newspaper as the key defensive lineman on the team. After playing a fantastic season, I was given the
In this sense, the world of football has taught me an important life lesson:
| A．tough | B．popular | C．typical | D．dynamic |
| A．set | B．control | C．test | D．require |
| A．mistakes | B．adventures | C．accidents | D．injuries |
| A．performance | B．position | C．moment | D．advantage |
| A．with | B．over | C．through | D．into |
| A．valuable | B．lost | C．extra | D．regular |
| A．pride | B．choice | C．name | D．honor |
| A．Unfortunately | B．Similarly | C．Happily | D．Gradually |
| A．practices | B．tryouts | C．seasons | D．operations |
| A．But | B．Or | C．So | D．And |
| A．examined | B．changed | C．provided | D．completed |
| A．shoulder | B．hand | C．leg | D．foot |
| A．explore | B．avoid | C．love | D．support |
| A．Knowledge | B．Belief | C．Experience | D．Opinion |
| A．enjoyable | B．possible | C．sensible | D．responsible |
8 . A Welcome Gift
Dario and his mother loved their new apartment. That night, the two of them
The next morning, however, their happiness disappeared. One of their neighbors had left a
“Maybe we could invite them to come here for a
They both loved the
Finally, the day of the party
She explained that the loud jazz music woke her out of bed that night and she worried they might play like this every night. So she wrote a short note. Hearing Mrs. Gilbert’s words, Dario’s mother smiled and said, ”I think maybe we
Mrs. Gilbert pointed to the book she had given them. “These songs are not such
“And we won’t play so loud or late!” Dario said. They all laughed. Seeing the big smile on his mother’s face, he sensed a feeling of warmth and that they were home at last.
1.| A．lay | B．stood | C．sat | D．walked |
| A．report | B．poster | C．bill | D．note |
| A．neighbors | B．friends | C．relatives | D．audiences |
| A．party | B．concert | C．show | D．play |
| A．experience | B．performance | C．idea | D．action |
| A．continued | B．arrived | C．passed | D．finished |
| A．presented | B．treated | C．helped | D．served |
| A．give | B．send | C．offer | D．owe |
| A．realize | B．remember | C．understand | D．accept |
| A．sweet | B．strange | C．funny | D．loud |
Alice Moore is a teenager entrepreneur (创业者), who in May 2015 set up her business AilieCandy. By the time she was 13, her company was worth millions of dollars with the invention of a super-sweet treat that could save kids’ teeth, instead of destroying them.
It all began when Moore was offered a candy bar. However, her dad reminded her that sugary treats were bad for her teeth. But Moore was sick of missing out on candies. So she desired to get round the warning, “Why can’t I make a healthy candy that’s good for my teeth so that my parents can’t say no to it?” With that in mind, Moore asked her dad if she could start her own candy company. He suggested that she do some research and talk to dentists about what a healthier candy would contain.
With her dad’s agreement, she spent the next two years researching online to get a candy that was both tasty and tooth-friendly. She also went to dentists to learn more about teeth cleaning. In the end, she succeeded in making a kind of candy product — Cancandy.
Quickly, Cancandy sells very good in the supermarket. As CanCandy’s success grows, so does Moore’s popularity as a young entrepreneur. Moore is excited about the candy she created, and she’s also positive about what the future might bring. She hopes that every kid can have a clean mouth and a broad smile. Although she founded her company early on in life, she wasn’t driven by profit (利润) .
Moore wants to use her special talent to help others find their smiles. She donates 10% of AilicCandy’s profits to Big Smiles. With her talent and determination, it appears that the sky could be the limit for Alice Moore.
1. Who is Alice Moore?
2. When Moore wanted to start her own company, what did her father advise?
3. What is special for Moore’s candy product — Cancandy?
4. In your opinion, what is the most important for Moore’s success? Why? (In about 40 words)
10 . Wuthering Heights
Suddenly we heard the sound of a carriage in the courtyard. He went to the window and I hurried to the door to open it.
It was the two Lintons, Hindley Frances and Catherine. They all ran into the house and stood in front of the large fire in the sitting room to get warm.
I told Heathcliff to go and join them. He opened the kitchen door as Hindley was coming out of the sitting room. When Hindley saw him, he pushed him back into the kitchen saying Joseph! Keep him away from the sitting room.
Then he noticed Heathcliff’s nice clothes.
“Look at you!” he said sneering. “Who do you want to impress? Get out or I’ll pull your hair until it’s longer than it is now!”
“It’s long enough already,” observed Edgar Linton. He was standing at the siting room door. His hands over his eyes like a mane!
Edgar didn’t say this to insult Heathcliff but Heathcliff had a quick and violent temper. He suddenly picked up a pan of hot apple sauce and threw the contents in Edgar’s face. Edgar screamed. Hearing her brother’s cries, Isabella, followed by Catherine, came running out. Hindley grabbed Heathcliff by the arm, took him to his room and gave him a beating.
I didn’t have much sympathy for Edgar but I cleaned his face. His sister was crying and wanted to go home. Catherine was confused and embarrassed and didn’t say anything.
1. Hindley makes fun of Heathcliff because of________.| A．his appearance |
| B．his relationship with Isabella |
| C．his kindness |
| D．his bad cooking skill |
| A．selfish |
| B．friendly |
| C．aggressive |
| D．romantic |
| A．She loved him. |
| B．She did not care about him. |
| C．She was upset at him. |
| D．She felt sorry for him. |
