1 . When I was nine years old, I loved to go fishing with my dad. But the only thing that wasn’t very
As I got a little older I began to understand what my dad really
That is why fish
When I grew up and entered the
| A．passive | B．fun | C．normal | D．flexible |
| A．amazed | B．responsible | C．upset | D．positive |
| A．strike | B．share | C．struggle | D．read |
| A．added | B．argue | C．realized | D．reasoned |
| A．meant | B．experienced | C．said | D．desired |
| A．fortunately | B．regularly | C．finally | D．usually |
| A．temperature | B．depth | C．rate | D．material |
| A．leave | B．exchange | C．prefer | D．base |
| A．protects | B．views | C．acquires | D．hurts |
| A．catching | B．enjoying | C．challenging | D．fishing |
| A．education | B．resource | C．government | D．business |
| A．salespeople | B．bosses | C．fishermen | D．customers |
| A．shoot up | B．make sense | C．make progress | D．back down |
| A．detail | B．adventure | C．services | D．technique |
| A．design | B．stick | C．trust | D．target |
2 . Karla, a recent graduate of one high school in Los Angeles, designed an 18th century-style dress for the yearly “Stuck at Prom” competition and was named a finalist last week.
Unlike what we normally expect, the dress is surprisingly made out of duct tape(胶带)Tape is so rigid and you can’t move it like fabric. So it was really challenging to make it all come together. But the fashion-forward teenager overcame that challenge and is now competing for votes to win the grand prize: a $10, 000 scholarship.
Though it’s Karla’name officially in the competition, she said the entire process is more of a collective effort of her family, especially her parents. She and her mom spent at least 120 hours, over many days, working on the dress by trial and error, and used 14 rolls of tape.
“I really love fashion. It’s a really big passion of mine, and I’m willing to try any style.” she said. She often spends hours looking at outfit ideas or different styles, from the 70s to Gothic to Rococo, on Pinterest and TikTok-which is how she found the competition. But it wasn’t until a recent visit to the Getty Museum-the only field trip she took in high school-that she found her inspiration from the 18th century French paintings featuring lavish, ornate dresses and eventually created the possibly award-winning dress.
“It means a lot to me that I was able to make it this far with the support of my parents. As the first generation college student in our family, I wouldn’t want my parents to pay for my tuition(学费)Although there is a long way to go to get the $10, 000 prize, it would really help my parents, and we’re feeling confident and hopeful that we can win.” Karla said. She plans to study business marketing in college, ideally focusing on the fashion industry.
1. What do we know about Karla?| A．She learned about the competition by chance. |
| B．Her parents can’t afford her tuition for college. |
| C．She entered a competition and won the grand prize. |
| D．She designed an 18th century-style dress independently |
| A．The rigid duct tape. | B．The “Stuck at Prom” competition. |
| C．The French paintings in the Getty Museum. | D．The different styles on Pinterest and TikTok. |
| A．Generous and thankful. | B．Ambitious and well-rounded. |
| C．Creative and thoughtful. | D．Determined and humorous. |
| A．A girl’s supportive family. | B．A dress made out of duct tape. |
| C．An eye-catching fashion competition. | D．A teen’s effort to win a scholarship. |
3 . I am Ali. I have always had confidence in myself. My parents taught me to be
I started my boxing
But I didn’t know that my will would be
When the moment came for me to set fire to the cauldron, I realized I
| A．brave | B．confident | C．honest | D．polite |
| A．excusing | B．avoiding | C．challenging | D．proposing |
| A．shot up | B．lied in | C．heard of | D．thought of |
| A．breaking | B．matching | C．training | D．watching |
| A．attitude | B．potential | C．source | D．action |
| A．remind | B．focus | C．host | D．exchange |
| A．win | B．lose | C．find | D．buy |
| A．need | B．get | C．decide | D．make |
| A．believed in | B．cared about | C．turned into | D．got along |
| A．forced | B．increased | C．damaged | D．tested |
| A．protect | B．carry | C．light | D．touch |
| A．attacked | B．achieved | C．chose | D．attracted |
| A．cheer | B．laugh | C．noise | D．shout |
| A．history | B．experience | C．contribution | D．stage |
| A．expected | B．supposed | C．proved | D．realized |
It was a burning hot day in late summer, when my father drove me and my friends Jim and John to the lumber mill (锯木厂) where he was working.
The workers’ working conditions were really poor. That day the fans weren’t working. The workers were covered in sweat and sawdust, looking discouraged and tired. It was dangerous back-breaking work that paid very little. They did the work because they had no other work to do to support their families.
We had decided to play in the forest nearby the mill. So shortly after looking around the big yard of the mill, we three children ran out to the forest before my father could warn us to take care. Behind the big old trees we played hide-and-seek. We also removed our shoes and climbed to the top of tall trees to see what were in bird nests. With everything seeming so interesting and pleasant we couldn’t hold back our curiosity and excitement.
We three were exploring what attracted each of us when Jim suddenly called out: “Hey! There is a deer here.” Hearing this, John and I tuned and saw a brown-haired figure lying under a tree. We raced towards it. Sure enough, there lay a beautiful little deer on its side with bright big eyes looking at us with fright. I was about to pat it when Jim said, “the deer must have injured somewhere, or it couldn’t be lying here.” What he said sounded reasonable. Having examined the deer carefully, we found one of his front legs was seriously hurt and bleeding from a cut.
“We must do something to stop the bleeding at once.” I said. “But we had no bandage, said John anxiously. Glancing at my white shirt, I had an idea. Taking it off and tearing it into pieces, I folded them, pressed them onto the cut and bound it tightly. Everything done, we breathed a sigh of relief. Patting it gently, we encouraged it to rise. The deer attempted to, but in vain. “It takes time to recover. We should first take it to the mill.” Jim suggested. So we three took turns to carry it. On reaching the mill, I shouted: “Father, we have a wounded deer!”
注意：1. 续写词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Hearing this, the workers at work all came out to see what the matter was.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . When I was a very small child, I started skiing and enjoyed being different. While the other children in my group were unwilling to
Since my many layers of clothing made me just about as wide as I was tall, it was
When I was seven, I wanted to take my skiing to the
Traditionally, women are seen as stay-at-home and mothering
Although being a girl in a male-dominated sport can be difficult, I’m actually
| A．practice | B．compete | C．operate | D．join |
| A．dangerous | B．tough | C．easy | D．relaxing |
| A．learned | B．taught | C．admitted | D．heard |
| A．wondering | B．realizing | C．believing | D．thinking |
| A．faster | B．lower | C．bigger | D．upper |
| A．programs | B．advantages | C．options | D．chances |
| A．teenagers | B．girls | C．adults | D．children |
| A．normally | B．completely | C．fortunately | D．immediately |
| A．succeed | B．support | C．quit | D．disappear |
| A．argued | B．changed | C．developed | D．designed |
| A．solved | B．offered | C．included | D．allowed |
| A．names | B．persons | C．functions | D．roles |
| A．basic | B．equal | C．special | D．potential |
| A．thankful | B．regretful | C．happy | D．excited |
| A．requirement | B．needs | C．challenges | D．expectations |
6 . Families are taking down their decorations and throwing out their trees when Christmas has come to an end. However, one man in Texas is reusing the trees for a good cause. Jamie Willis set up Canes (拐杖) for Veterans (退伍军人) Central Texas, an organization that makes free canes out of waste wood for veterans in need. Willis started the organization when he found himself in need of a strong cane, he told CBS News.
Jamie Willis had served in the army for eight years, but was left disabled. He would use a cane to get around, but didn’t like the one he received from Veterans Affairs. He decided to ask for a suitable replacement (替代品) from the organization Free Canes for Veterans. Oscar Morris, who ran the organization, apologized to Willis because they were all handed out.
He then considered making one for himself. Luckily with the help of Morris, Willis made his first cane. Morris encouraged him to make another cane for someone else in need, which gave Willis an idea. He started the Canes for Veterans Central Texas.
During its first year, Willis simply collected thrown-away trees and wood. Now, after getting some attention, Willis has received many donated Christmas trees from neighbors and natives. Since 2016, Willis and his team have made 222 canes for veterans in need. He’s even started to make the canes with slogans (标语) and designs chosen by the veterans, making each one meaningful to those veterans.
“It’s a great feeling,” he told CBS News. “It takes their eyes off their so-called disability and it takes their eye to the cane. Because when people look at a person with just a metal cane, everyone just wonders what happens,” Willis added. “But now, when they’re walking around with canes that we make, they’re looking at the cane, a piece of artwork.”
1. Why did Jamie Willis finally decide to make himself a cane?| A．He doesn’t liked the cane without a slogan. |
| B．The cane he received cannot help him to get around. |
| C．He failed to apply a proper cane from Free Canes for Veterans. |
| D．The canes in Free Canes for Veterans were too expensive to him. |
| A．His requirement. | B．Morris’ encouragement. |
| C．Public support. | D．The waste of Christmas trees. |
| A．Curious. | B．Doubtful. | C．Objective. | D．Supportive. |
| A．They distract people’s attention from the veterans’ disabled body. |
| B．They are designed to attract public attention to disabled veterans. |
| C．They are popular because of the special and meaningful slogan. |
| D．They are likely to keep people away from the disabled veterans. |
My dad and I had been looking forward to the Stale cross-country race of my senior year of high school, which would be the climax (顶点) of my existence.
I was the fastest runner on my team, and I was supposed to make it into the top fifteen. We had been working towards this race for three years. It was everything to me, and it was everything to my dad. He was a runner and was wild with joy by my success in running. He made it to every race, even flying home early from business trips to see me run. I always listened for his voice, which rang above the crowd-telling me to relax my arms, calling out my time. He pushed me. He cheered for me. He believed in me. We spent countless hours on the sandy canals of Arizona. Breathing in the dust of the desert, the blossoms of the orange trees, and the terrible smell of the dairy farm, we made our way across the city. We pounded miles and miles into our running shoes, marking with every step the path to greatness. It was a journey that was just ours. A dream passed on from one generation to the next.
Then the big day came. It was hotter than normal - too hot. My throat felt like a field of cotton, cracked with the summer heat, as I waited for the gun to fire. I gazed out at the crowd; dozens of familiar faces from church and school flickered across my view. They had come for me. They were counting on me. I saw my dad set his watch, worry and excitement etched across his face. With the sound of a gunshot, the race began.
For the first two and half miles, I felt great. I had never before been so ready for something. The weeks leading up to the race were filled with hard practices and a strict diet. The scorching sun beat upon my back, blinding me with its brilliance. Nothing was going to stop me, though.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
However, without warning, my strength was running out.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I whispered, “I’m so sorry I disappointed you, Dad.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . Life is meant to be lived. No excuses. No reservations(保留). No holding back.
An inspiring story about violinist Fritz Kreisler tells how he once
Disappointed, Kreisler turned to leave, but then
William Arthur Ward said, “If you believe in prayer, pray; if you believe in serving, serve; if you believe in giving, give.” For you and I are fine violin—our music is
In the end, I know that my
| A．came over | B．came across | C．came about | D．came up |
| A．found | B．stored | C．raised | D．provided |
| A．historian | B．collector | C．master | D．author |
| A．encourage | B．recommend | C．persuade | D．inspire |
| A．useless | B．valueless | C．precious | D．expensive |
| A．returned | B．won | C．did | D．asked |
| A．before | B．unless | C．when | D．until |
| A．Assistance | B．Permission | C．Advice | D．Price |
| A．creative | B．classical | C．beautiful | D．powerful |
| A．honor | B．right | C．duty | D．sense |
| A．hear | B．see | C．feel | D．know |
| A．determined | B．supported | C．prevented | D．meant |
| A．properly | B．briefly | C．normally | D．fully |
| A．whatever | B．whenever | C．whichever | D．whoever |
| A．kindness | B．sadness | C．hardness | D．happiness |
9 . I was sitting at my desk when another graduate student in my lab approached me. “Can you help?” he asked. His experiment wasn’t working and he desperately needed help. I was then a fifth year PhD student, and I took pride in being the senior member of the lab, whom everyone looked up to. But that also meant I was the one everyone turned to for help - which ate away hours, days, and sometimes weeks that I could have spent on my own research.
There were many reasons I had a hard time saying no to such pleas(恳求). I was new to the United States for graduate school. I found it difficult to make new friends and discover activities I enjoyed. So I spent a huge chunk of my time in the lab, with my lab-mates serving as my primary source of social connection. I feared that if I brushed them off, I’d lose their favor.
But the extra responsibilities came at a cost. I had to work extra hours to catch up with my own work, and I often made sacrifices to my personal life.
It wasn’t until my wife gave birth to our first child that I realized how thin I had stretched myself, and how misguided my priorities were. While she lay in a hospital bed in the early stages of labor, I sat nearby hunched(伏首前倾的)over my laptop finishing up a work report hours later, after hearing my daughter’s first cry and watching her tiny fingers grab tightly onto mine, it dawned on me: I should have been fully present during my daughter’s birth. I was clearly spending too much time working if my job had intruded(侵入)into one of the most precious moments of my life.
From then on, I decided to spend more time with my family by paring down my work tasks and carefully considering each request for help. I still enjoyed collaborating with others, but I prioritized mutually beneficial tasks or those my manager asked me to take on, rather than accepting everything that came my way.
I noticed many benefits: no longer working overtime, more family time, and improved work performance. I was also pleased to discover that “Sorry, I’d love to help but I have a deadline coming up” is an acceptable response to a request for assistance.
It’s hard to say “no” to those you work with. But I’ve learned that sometimes that’s the best course of action to avoid an excessive workload and lead a freer and happier life.
1. Why did the author find it difficult to refuse the requests of his lab-mates?| A．He was afraid to be left out by them. | B．He wanted to earn their respect. |
| C．He was the senior member of the lab. | D．He had once received help from them. |
| A．He was guilty for his absence when she was born. |
| B．His wife had sacrificed a lot for the family. |
| C．He should have balanced work and life better. |
| D．He should work harder due to the increased responsibilities. |
| A．To put his work tasks aside. |
| B．To cut his work tasks down. |
| C．To stop his work tasks. |
| D．To get familiar with his work tasks. |
| A．Enjoying family life. | B．Giving priority to family. |
| C．Giving and taking. | D．Learning to say “no”. |
Jim slumped on the couch. Mother’s Day was coming up, and he didn’t have a present. “How can I buy a present without money?” he thought.
Jim picked up the newspaper that was lying on the couch. He noticed a large advertisement on the front page. The local department store was sponsoring a contest. “Tell us why your mom is special and win a shopping spree(疯狂购物) for her,” said the ad.
“This is perfect!” thought Jim. He ran to his room with the newspaper, taking a pencil and a blank piece of paper from his desk, he started to write.
“My mom is the best mother in the world. She always makes a lunch for me to take to school, and she never forgets my dessert. She reads as many books to me before bed as I want. She always remembers to check under the bed for monsters. And she gives the best hug, but never in front of my friends, who would laugh at me for hugging my mom.”
Jim liked what he had written. He copied it neatly and got an envelope and a stamp from his dad. He ran to the mailbox with his entry(参赛作品), “Mom will love having a shopping spree,” he thought.
Jim checked the mailbox every day for his prize. Days passed by, and then weeks. Soon it was the day before Mother’s Day. Jim still hadn’t heard anything about the contest.
“What am I going to do now?” he wondered. He didn’t have a present, and he didn’t have a shopping spree, and he still didn’t have any money. He had to think of something. Jim closed his eyes and curled his toes and thought so hard that his ears hurt.
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。
Suddenly he had an idea.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The next morning, Jim handed his present to his mom.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
