1 . We didn’t always live on Mango Street. Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor, and before that we lived on Keeler. Before Keeler it was Paulina, and before that I can’t remember. But what I remember most is moving a lot. Each time it seemed there’d be one more of us. By the time we got to Mango Street we were six—Mama, Papa, Carlos, Kiki, my sister Nenny and me.
The house on Mango Street is ours, and we don’t have to pay rent to anybody, or share the yard with the people downstairs, or be careful not to make too much noise, and there isn’t a landlord striking the ceiling with a broom. But even so, it’s not the house we’d thought we’d get.
We had to leave the flat on Loomis quick. The water pipes broke and the landlord wouldn’t fix them because the house was too old. We had to leave fast. We were using the washroom next door and carrying water over in empty milk gallons. That’s why Mama and Papa looked for a house, and that’s why we moved into the house on Mango Street, far away, on the other side of town.
They always told us that one day we would move into a house, a real house that would be ours for always so we wouldn’t have to move each year. And our house would have running water and pipes that worked. And inside it would have real stairs, not hallway stairs, but stairs inside like the houses on TV. And we’d have a basement and at least three washrooms so when we took a bath we wouldn’t have to tell everybody. Our house would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence. This was the house Papa talked about when he held a lottery ticket and this was the house Mama dreamed up in the stories she told us before we went to bed.
But the house on Mango Street is not the way they told it at all. It’s small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath. Bricks are crumbling (坍塌、崩裂) in places, and the front door is so swollen (肿胀) you have to push hard to get in. There is no front yard, only four little elms (榆树) the city planted by the curb. Our back is a small garage for the car we don’t own yet and a small yard that looks smaller between the two buildings on either side. There are stairs in our house, but they’re ordinary hallway stairs, and the house has only one washroom. Everybody has to share a bedroom—Mama and Papa, Carlos and Kiki, me and Nenny.
Once when we were living on Loomis, a nun (修女) from my school passed by and saw me playing out front. The laundromat (投币自助洗衣店) downstairs had been boarded up (封住) because it had been robbed two days before and the owner had painted on the wood YES WE’RE OPEN so as not to lose business.
“Where do you live?” She asked.
“There,” I said pointing up to the third floor.
“You live there?” There. I had to look to where she pointed—the third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so we wouldn’t fall out. “You live there?” The way she said it made me feel like nothing. “There. I lived there.” I nodded.
I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isn’t it. The house on Mango Street isn’t it. For the time being, Mama says. Temporary, says Papa. But I know how those things go.
1. The size of the family ______ each time they moved house.| A．rose and fell | B．slimmed down | C．mounted up | D．stayed the same |
| A．Spaciousness. | B．Convenience. | C．Comfort. | D．Quietness. |
| A．size | B．garage | C．yard | D．stairs |
| A．I believed that we were less likely to leave Mango Street for a new house any time soon. |
| B．The conversation I had with the nun raised my self-esteem. |
| C．The laundromat’s owner set up a notice board by design for promotion. |
| D．We had to leave the flat on Loomis because we were suffering from a leaking pipe in the washroom next door. |
2 . Sudha Chandran, who was a classical dancer from India, had to have her right leg cut after a car accident. She was also cut off on her career (事业) road.
Though the accident brought her bright career to a
After every public recital (个人表演), she
Sudha’s comeback was
When someone asked Sudha how she had
| A．success | B．height | C．stop | D．point |
| A．painful | B．unforgettable | C．busy | D．free |
| A．gift | B．flower | C．leg | D．box |
| A．home | B．dancing | C．school | D．walking |
| A．stop | B．leave | C．forget | D．realize |
| A．starting | B．remembering | C．learning | D．wanting |
| A．could | B．would | C．should | D．might |
| A．in surprise | B．in return | C．in turn | D．in anger |
| A．comeback | B．change | C．movement | D．promise |
| A．forced | B．made | C．let | D．moved |
| A．performance | B．story | C．decision | D．accident |
| A．strange | B．new | C．normal | D．same |
| A．such | B．this | C．so | D．very |
| A．tried | B．managed | C．thought | D．imagined |
| A．Everything | B．Anything | C．Something | D．Nothing |
3 . Christian Liden decided that he would not pick out a ring from a jeweler’s like most other people. He hatched an ambitious plan to create a personalized ring for his future wife, Desirae Glovis. Therefore, he made up his mind to go into the wild to find his own materials: the diamond, the gold and the accompanying jewels.
So, in May 2022, Liden told Clovis that he and Josh Tucker, his best friend, were heading out on a camp to Yellowstone. Instead, he and Tucker made for Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas, which is set on a volcanic crater. The park is one of the few places in the world where the public is welcome to search for real diamonds and can keep them for free. Since its opening, only 1 in 10,000 park visitors is lucky enough to find a diamond that weighs a carat or more. Still, he was up for the challenge.
On their way, Liden and Tucker stopped in Helena, Montana, to mine for accompanying jewels to add to the diamond they hoped to score. In Arkansas, the pair paid $10 each to get into the park and spent almost three days searching through the volcanic dirt.
On the third morning, Liden suddenly spotted something reflecting light in the sands. “I was so excited that I started shaking.” he said, “It was oily and shiny, and we both just knew it was a Diamond.”
It was confirmed that Liden had found a 2.2-carat yellow diamond. Similarly-sized diamonds go for $2,500 to $20,000 per carat, depending on quality, color and cut. But the value wasn’t what was important to Liden.
When he pulled out the diamond and got on his knee upon his return, Clovis was amazed. “I knew that he was going to propose someday,” she said, “but I certainly didn’t expect this.”
1. What was Christian Liden’s ambitious plan?| A．He planned to hunt for a natural diamond to create a ring. |
| B．He would get a personalized ring from a jeweler’s. |
| C．He decided to make a ring together with his future wife. |
| D．He intended his ring to consist of various jewels. |
| A．The public was allowed to keep any diamond found there. |
| B．They were likely to find more than just natural diamonds. |
| C．The majority of park visitors had got their ideal diamonds. |
| D．It was the only place that charged jewel hunters nothing. |
| A．He had got the largest diamond in the park’s history. |
| B．The value of the diamond was above his expectations. |
| C．The quality and color of his diamond ranked among the best. |
| D．He was lucky to acquire the diamond for his dream ring. |
| A．True love stories never have endings. |
| B．Absence makes two hearts grow fonder. |
| C．Love shows more in action than in words. |
| D．A life lived in love will never be boring. |
4 . When the fifth grade school year was almost over, all the girls made autograph (签名) books. As I signed my classmates’ books, I noticed their moms had written in them, too. “I couldn’t be prouder of you. Can’t wait to see how you like junior high!” “Congratulations! We love you and know you have a bright future!”
I asked my mother to sign mine, too. When she handed it back to me, I was anxious to see what she had written. This is what I found on the page:
When a thing is first begun,
Never leave it till it’s done.
Be the labor great or small.
Do it well or not at all.
That was it? I was frozen. It was an indication to me that, if I couldn’t be perfect, I wasn’t good enough. I held back my tears, left the page in but secretly hoped my classmates wouldn’t read it.
Do it well or not at all. For years, I battled perfectionism and never felt good enough for most of my life.
When my mother was in her eighties, I gave her a book to fill out so we could know more about her. It had questions at the top of each page and then blank space to respond. I secretly hoped she’d been working on it all along. Sadly, not long after, my mother passed away. When I sorted out her belongings, what I wanted more than anything was that book. What I found stopped me short. On page ten, the question was, “What’s the best advice you got from your parents?” Her response was what she had written in my autograph book. Even though I’d memorized it years ago, I read it at a slower pace now, seeing it in a new light.
It was written to her by her mother, and she was passing it down to her daughter in the same way. A gift from her to me. She was giving me treasured, valuable advice when all I was thinking about were words of praise. I understand it now.
1. In paragraph 1, the author found that words from other classmates’ moms ________.| A．contained reflection on life |
| B．expressed their thankfulness |
| C．showed pride in their children |
| D．featured a formal writing style |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Motivated. | C．Hopeful. | D．Anxious. |
| A．The author memorized the words from her mom. |
| B．The author was surprised to see the same words again. |
| C．The author found it easy to see the words clearly under the light. |
| D．The author began to have a new understanding of her mom’s words. |
| A．A vision of a perfect world. |
| B．Encouragement to do things well. |
| C．Her mom’s wisdom of loving yourself. |
| D．Her mom’s advice on living at a slow pace. |
5 . 20-year-old Colen Nulgit and his girlfriend, Shantelle Johnson, had gone out for a daytime fishing trip at Keep River National Park in Australia last week when their car became stuck in some mud (淤泥). When they were unable to free the car from the mud, they began to worry. The park’s waterways are usually full of crocodiles (鳄鱼), and the couple had already seen plenty of crocodile tracks running through the mud. Not only that, they had only brought a few bottles of water and little food for the trip.
Nulgit and Johnson tried to fall asleep in their car—but as the sun set and the nearby water levels began to rise, they feared that the high water would bring the crocodiles closer to their car. The young couple then moved towards dry land and hoped for rescue. They even used a piece of wood to write the word “HELP” into the mud along with a line pointing towards their car.
Thankfully, the couple had told Nulgit’s parents where they were going and when they expected to be home before they left. So when they failed to return the very same night, his worried mother called the police. Rescuers began searching the area by airplane the next morning. Upon hearing the sound of the plane, the couple started a fire so the rescuers would see the smoke. As the plane drew closer to the smoke, the rescuers successfully located the couple after they caught sight of the “HELP” sign pointing towards the car.
Nulgit and Johnson were very thankful for the rescue. They now plan on putting together a set of emergency survival tools for the car.
1. Why did the young couple move to dry land?| A．Because their car became stuck in some mud. |
| B．Because they wanted to fall asleep in their car that night. |
| C．Because they were afraid the crocodiles would come to their car. |
| D．Because they only brought a few bottles of water and little food. |
| A．They wrote a sign for help. | B．They went fishing for food. |
| C．They started a fire for warmth. | D．They called their parents for help. |
| A．The evening when they should have arrived home. | B．The moment their car became stuck in some mud. |
| C．The minute she received their call for help. | D．Upon hearing the sound of the plane. |
| A．At the sight of the rescuers, the couple brought into tears. |
| B．The couple successfully caught the rescuers’ attention by smoke. |
| C．The rescuers began searching the area the moment they received the call. |
| D．After being rescued, the couple bought some survival tools for car at once. |
6 . With Christmas approaching, I often reflect upon one particular evening in the early 1960s. Back then, we decided to go carolling (唱圣诞颂歌) to spread the Christmas spirit which might
Soon we discovered that carolling brought various
One stop on our journey particularly
We stepped briskly upward into the couple’s
Sitting beside his wife, the gentleman gave us a
A smile flickered on the woman’s
At that moment, we found, and maybe even
| A．change | B．influence | C．shape | D．brighten. |
| A．on | B．in | C．over | D．up |
| A．requirement | B．objective | C．reward | D．account |
| A．consequences | B．comments | C．responses | D．movements |
| A．awkwardly | B．passively | C．randomly | D．positively |
| A．stuck in | B．woke up | C．shot up | D．brought out |
| A．commanded | B．requested | C．proposed | D．recommended |
| A．shamefully | B．hesitantly | C．desirably | D．proudly |
| A．unfurnished | B．brief | C．little | D．average |
| A．for the sake of | B．for fear of | C．in spite of | D．in the hope of |
| A．smile | B．nod | C．contact | D．glance |
| A．seriousness | B．energy | C．horror | D．option |
| A．fancy | B．bright | C．joyous | D．skinny |
| A．presence | B．absence | C．expectation | D．circle |
| A．created | B．acquired | C．spread | D．regained |
7 . I’m obsessed (迷恋) with music. As a teenager, I couldn’t leave the house without my
But one day last year something changed. I became aware of a faint tapping sound in my left ear. It wasn’t loud enough to be
I was then sent to see specialists. They said it was the mitochondrial disease that caused the
I was given hearing aids, but they didn’t work. I’ve signed up for a lip-reading course and am
Other deaf people have warned of feeling isolated (孤立) and I’m determined not to make that my
I’ve always preferred to
| A．assignments | B．headphones | C．schoolbags | D．uniforms |
| A．textbooks | B．toys | C．records | D．flowers |
| A．annoying | B．impressive | C．pleasant | D．heartbreaking |
| A．strike | B．clean | C．see | D．hear |
| A．pain | B．deafness | C．awareness | D．anxiety |
| A．technically | B．gradually | C．similarly | D．confidently |
| A．teaching | B．speaking | C．promoting | D．learning |
| A．great | B．curious | C．excited | D．awkward |
| A．withdraw from | B．leave behind | C．break off | D．adapt to |
| A．job | B．hobby | C．life | D．aim |
| A．reward | B．anxiety | C．criticism | D．pleasure |
| A．because | B．if | C．until | D．when |
| A．plan | B．contact | C．depart | D．write |
| A．memory | B．appetite | C．hearing | D．sight |
| A．promising | B．unbelievable | C．predictable | D．uncertain |
8 . For the first year of our relationship, I didn’t know his name and didn’t welcome his interruptions (打扰), I felt
Our relationship started when I moved into another apartment. When I was home, the UPS man would knock until I
COVID-19 changed everything. Trapped in my apartment, I did
One day in hot July, Dave knocked with a package, and when I answered, he told me that UPS was changing his
“I’m excited for a change,” he said, “but I’ll always
“Congratulations.” I felt
He
“What changed?”
“Nothing,
I couldn’t see his smile through his mask, but I could sense it.
1.| A．satisfied | B．troubled | C．excited | D．awkward |
| A．With | B．For | C．Despite | D．As |
| A．spread | B．suffer | C．shape | D．stress |
| A．flexibly | B．unwillingly | C．readily | D．quickly |
| A．affect | B．effort | C．effect | D．affection |
| A．tough | B．normal | C．amazing | D．risky |
| A．ignore | B．seek | C．gather | D．escape |
| A．shut | B．open | C．close | D．answer |
| A．pay attention to | B．hang on to | C．look forward to | D．give rise to |
| A．address | B．name | C．route | D．path |
| A．think of | B．count on | C．cheer up | D．stick to |
| A．at any cost | B．at a loss | C．at case | D．at any rate |
| A．stopped | B．kept | C．held | D．broke |
| A．understand | B．wander | C．recognize | D．wonder |
| A．far from | B．different from | C．apart from | D．free from |
Tim’s daughters, Hope and Hannah, have smartness, great humor, athletic abilities and beauty. His home is full of medals and many other awards his daughters have won over the years.
But the one thing they have never had in abundance (大量) is money. Having a single parent with a low-paid job, they never have pocket money. They wear hand-me-downs store clothing. But they never complain and never cry out for something Tim can’t afford.
Tim has many wonderful memories of his daughters. However, there is one that stands out.
When Hope was 10 years old and Hannah was 8 years old, they were looking for a gift to give Tim for Christmas. “Dad often gave us gifts. Now I think we should also give one to him,” Hope suggested. Hannah said it was a good idea. And they wondered what gift they should give their dad. After thinking for long, they thought of the National Geographic magazines. Their dad always loved the magazine. But because money was especially tight (紧的) that year, Tim had not been able to subscribe (订阅) to it. “The magazines sold in the bookstore aren’t that cheap. Well, at least, we can buy one and give it to Dad as a Christmas gift,” Hope said.
Not having any money of their own, Hope and Hannah then wondered how to solve the problem. Finally, they decided to find part-time jobs in the small neighborhood to make money. First, they needed to be permitted (允许) by their dad.
When they shared their decision one night, Tim thought they wanted to buy some toys, candy or something else for themselves. Since he couldn’t give them pocket money and thought part-time jobs could be helpful to a kid, he agreed. But he didn’t want them to be too tired, so he reminded them, “When you find you dislike the jobs, you can just give up.” Hope and Hannah smiled and nodded, and Tim thought they surely wouldn’t stick to their part-time jobs for long.
Paragraph 1:The next morning, Hope and Hannah walked around the neighborhood to look for possible part-time jobs.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
With the money, Hope and Hannah rushed to a nearby bookstore.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . I have a lot of Mom’s recipe (秘诀;食谱) in a blue box. Even so, the recipe I treasure most is not there. Actually, Mom followed it all of her life but I was too blind to see and
My mom grew up in a small town in Iowa. She
What impressed me most was Mom’s
“Oh, are you
Mom didn’t give up. She smiled or said “hello” to them all each time she got on the bus and before long, the whole group was laughing and talking to one another. The bus became more than just
Frequently, I observed as she smiled and chatted with
Mom has been gone for ten years, but she’s given me a recipe for life: It was I who had done the smiling
| A．admit | B．approach | C．appreciate | D．address |
| A．look | B．regarded | C．think | D．refer |
| A．continuation | B．contribution | C．conversation | D．concentration |
| A．event | B．experience | C．challenge | D．role |
| A．offered | B．adapted | C．ignored | D．used |
| A．letter | B．person | C．word | D．focus |
| A．was happened | B．changed | C．remained | D．continued |
| A．battling | B．arguing | C．talking | D．quarreling |
| A．adopted | B．described | C．noticed | D．ensured |
| A．communication | B．transportation | C．addition | D．relation |
| A．neighbors | B．strangers | C．relatives | D．friends |
| A．agreed | B．approved | C．responded | D．promised |
| A．admitting | B．admiring | C．awarding | D．adapting |
| A．first | B．personally | C．actually | D．quickly |
| A．aided | B．created | C．taught | D．supported |
