2 . For more than a century, the Mississippi Delta has been a popular destination for immigrants. Recently, I was assigned to learn more about one immigrant group: the Chinese in Greenville, a small city along the Mississippi River. There I met Raymond Wong. whose family has long been part of the community.

The first wave of Chinese immigrants came to the Mississippi Delta soon after the Civil War, and the pace picked up by the early 1900s. The Chinese initially came to pick cotton, but they quickly started opening grocery stores, mostly in the African-American communities where they lived.

“On my street alone, there were no less than four grocery stores. I’m talking about a minor street,” Wong recalls. “I was raised in a grocery store. All my family — six of us — lived in a couple of rooms at the back of our store. As soon as I could calculate money I had to work in the store.”

In 1968, Wong’s father opened a Chinese restaurant, one of the first in the town. “The restaurant existed for 40 years.” Wong says. Wong remembers a time of big excitement when his family finally could afford to buy a house in a white neighborhood. Then suddenly, that conversation stopped.

“When people found out that we were moving in, they started throwing bottles in the driveway,” Wong says. “We ended up building a house directly behind the grocery.”

And the future? It’s probably not in the Delta. Wong remembers the question his son raised when he was still in high school: “Dad, do you want me to take over the store when you retire?” Wong’s response was immediate: “No. I want you to live better than me.” That’s the story of the typical Delta Chinese.

1. What did the Delta Chinese originally do shortly after the Civil War?

A．Working in cotton fields.	B．Running restaurants.
C．Importing Chinese food.	D．Opening grocery stores.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 3?

A．Raymond Wong had a fun and care free childhood.

B．The store owners’ children were very talented in math.

C．There was intense competition among the grocery stores.

D．The Wong family was among the most successful families in Greenville.

3. Why did the Wongs stop buying their ideal house?

A．Because the house owner raised the price.	B．Because their business failed unexpectedly.
C．Because they did not have enough money.	D．Because the white people did not accept them.

4. How do the typical Chinese feel about their life in the Delta?

A．Embarrassed.

B．Insecure.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Optimistic.

3 . Once upon a time, a daughter complained to her father that her life was unhappy and that she was tired of struggling all the time.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes, eggs and coffee beans in them. After 20 minutes, he took them out, putting the potatoes and eggs in a bowl and the coffee in a cup.

Turning to his daughter, he said, “Look closer, and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee. Its good smell brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked. He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans were in the same adversity (逆境) — the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently.

The strong and hard potato became soft and weak in boiling water. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. “Which one do you want to be like,” he asked. “When adversity knocks on your door, how will you respond?”

In life, challenges happen to us all, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.

1. What can we infer from this story?

A．The girl liked the coffee best.

B．The father was good at cooking.

C．The girl didn’t like the potatoes and eggs.

D．Different people have different reactions to adversity.

2. What does the underlined word “fragile” mean in the 5th paragraph?

A．thick

B．hard

C．strong

D．easily-broken

3. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Challenges and responses.	B．Adversities and a chef.
C．A chef and coffee beans.	D．Father and daughter.

5 . An unpleasant smell floated into my nose as the bowl of fried stinky tofu settled onto my grandmother’s dinner table. I immediately sat back. The smell ruined my appetite, and I pushed the dish away.

“It’s supposed to stink. Just give it a try!” my grandmother said.

Holding my breath, I unwillingly took a bite. To my surprise, the tofu beneath the fried skin     was warm, soft, and mouthwatering. Thus, stinky tofu became more than a household tradition. It became my favorite dish.

Along with the stinky tofu, I would meet my Uncle Chan on every visit. As an immature boy, I never understood my uncle’s condition of Down syndrome(唐氏综合征).He was an unfriendly and terrible creature in my eyes. He constantly walked around the house, talking to himself. Whenever he was within view, I would run away in fear.

However, one day, my view of my uncle suddenly changed. I was just getting out of my bed when I heard soft steps approaching. It was my uncle. My muscles froze. He slowly sat next to me and touched my face gently, as a mother would stroke (抚摸)a baby. A wide smile emerged from his blank expression. How beautiful his smile was! I could not help but smile back. My fear disappeared gradually, and my muscles relaxed.

My uncle very much resembles stinky tofu. Stinky tofu smells unpleasant on the outside, yet feels warm and soft in the inside. Like stinky tofu, my uncle’s Down syndrome made me keep my distance at first. Yet, I learned that deep inside, he is harmless and has a loving nature.

The outside and inside of the stinky tofu exist as two extremely different worlds. Perhaps that is what makes it such a tasty dish. Not only is it delicious, stinky tofu offers a valuable lesson: never judge people at first glance, for true beauty comes from the inside.

1. Why did stinky tofu become the author’s favorite dish?

A．It was related to family tradition.	B．It turned out to be quite delicious.
C．Grandma encouraged him to try it.	D．His appetite for food had increased.

2. The author’s attitude towards Uncle Chan changed when________.

A．Chan’s footsteps woke up the author

B．Chan showed his friendliness to the author

C．Chan displayed his love towards his mother

D．Chan’s blank expression made the author smile

3. What is purpose in comparing his uncle to stinky tofu?

A．To highlight the nature of Uncle Chan	B．To analyze the family relationship
C．To describe a childhood memory	D．To introduce a traditional Chinese food

4. What does the author mainly want to tell us in the passage?

A．We shouldn’t judge by appearances.	B．A person’s taste changes over time.
C．Blood is thicker than water.	D．You are what you eat.

6 . 阅读短文，在空白处填入适当的内容或括号内单词的正确形式。

Jack,     1     was a ten-year- old boy, didn’t like doing any work. He had to go to school, of course, but he didn’t study hard there and tried     2     (do) little work. His father and mother were both doctors and they     3     (hope) that their son would become a doctor, too, when he     4     (grow) up.

But one day Jack said     5     (happy) to his mother, “When I finish school, I want to be a     6     (clean).” “What?” his mother asked,     7     (feel) very surprised. “That’s not a good job. Why do you want to do the job?” his mother said. “     8     I would only need to work one day a week,” Jack answered at once. “Only one day a week?” his mother said. “What do you mean? And how do you know about it?” “Well,” Jack answered, “I know that the cleaners come to work     9     Thursday every week, because I only see     10     (they) that day.” And then his mother laughed and said, “But the cleaners go to work in other streets on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.”

7 . When my father was a teenager, he had been declared a genius by his art teacher. He ______ to become an art major and had some ______ of his paintings. But when my mother got ill, his creative life came to an end.

I remembered my father’s ______ for art. One day, I asked whether he was interested in drawing a cartoon. My father was not much of a ______. When learning to drive, I had asked if it was more important to ______ the cars ahead or those behind. “Both.” Then he was ______ for the next three miles.

He gave no ______ answer to my query (询问). I asked again the following day. Still no real ______. I ultimately ______ the idea. I understood he had enough on his plate already. But a week later, I received an email from my father — with a(n) ______. I downloaded the file and there was the cartoon I had asked him to draw!

We began to draw cartoons. The process of creating gave him ______. As he built his art muscles back up, his teenage self’s enthusiasm ______.

It never ______ me that he could talk so much that I had to pretend I was getting a call to ______ his excitement. He is now painting and drawing. If he were to ask me whether I was prouder of the cartoon or of him turning his life around, I would say, “______.”

1.

A．went on

B．agreed on

C．took up

D．put off

2.

A．records

B．copies

C．exhibits

D．celebrations

3.

A．choice

B．love

C．skill

D．idea

4.

A．talker

B．teacher

C．painter

D．thinker

5.

A．give off

B．push through

C．look into

D．focus on

6.

A．careful

B．silent

C．impatient

D．polite

7.

A．definite

B．relevant

C．simple

D．clever

8.

A．channel

B．response

C．news

D．way

9.

A．dropped

B．failed

C．forgot

D．regretted

10.

A．list

B．present

C．theme

D．attachment

11.

A．freedom

B．safety

C．purpose

D．trust

12.

A．grew

B．returned

C．appeared

D．mixed

13.

A．occurred

B．happened

C．exposed

D．adjusted

14.

A．escape

B．reduce

C．match

D．shock

15.

A．The cartoon

B．You

C．Neither

D．Both

8 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Jane was still sleeping when the phone rang in the living room. She opened her sleepy eyes and looked at the clock on the table. It was already nine o’clock! Although Jane was still very sleepy, she knew she had to get up because her mother was working in her office and she couldn’t expect her younger brother Tom, who was sleeping like a pig, to answer the Phone. She quickly put on a coat and ran to the living room. When she picked up the receiver, on the other end came the warm greeting, “Good morning!”

It was from her father, who was a seaman and rarely came back. Suddenly, Jane’s sleepiness disappeared.

Born in a not-so-rich family, Jane and Tom felt the stress of life, but they were happy to enjoy the family atmosphere. At school, they were straight-A students and took part in various after-school activities. They were the pride of the family.

“Good morning, Dad. Why do you call us so early on the weekend?” Jane said and pretended to be annoyed. “Tom and I have been very nice recently.” “My dear, today is your mother’s birthday, and I have ordered a cake online and it will be sent to our home late in the afternoon. Do remember to take the cake. It is my surprise for your mother.”

Hearing her father’s words, Jane felt a little ashamed. How could she forget her mother’s birthday?!

While she was chatting with her father, Jane looked around the room and saw a lot of dirty clothes on the sofa. The floor hadn’t been cleaned for a few days since her mother had to work all this week.

She looked at the clock again and was sure that she still had enough time to prepare a surprise for her mother.

“Well, Dad, now I’m going to wake Tom up. We will give Mum a surprise, too!” Jane said and hung up the telephone.

注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Jane hurried to Tom’s room and shared her plan with him.

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“Happy birthday, Mum!” Jane and Tom shouted when their mother opened the door.

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