1 . 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 |
2 . 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.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . Shortly after a father-and-son fight, my twelve-year-old son, Marlon, asked me if I was up for a basketball game of one-on-one. Without
There comes a time when sons
When playing
It’s a man thing, I guess. As a father, I need to
We played for quite a long time that day. I won a narrow victory and told him that he played for the wrong reasons. He
| A．thinking | B．exercising | C．recalling | D．reflecting |
| A．game | B．tip | C．offer | D．round |
| A．decide | B．wonder | C．perform | D．prove |
| A．stepped | B．skipped | C．drove | D．fell |
| A．respect | B．test | C．check | D．approve |
| A．boyhood | B．brotherhood | C．manhood | D．childhood |
| A．personal | B．emotional | C．mental | D．physical |
| A．chess | B．videogame | C．basketball | D．football |
| A．shortly | B．exactly | C．actually | D．eventually |
| A．teach | B．award | C．have | D．take |
| A．victory | B．honesty | C．toughness | D．responsibility |
| A．pull down | B．back down | C．calm down | D．break down |
| A．shook | B．stared | C．winked | D．nodded |
| A．challenged | B．led | C．recommended | D．introduced |
| A．terribly | B．soundly | C．hardly | D．strongly |
When Mike was a seven-year-old kid, his parents usually didn’t give him money because he liked to buy junk food. They knew such food would be harmful to kids’ body.
But one day Mike strongly wished to buy such food. He knew he couldn’t persuade his parents to give him money to buy it, so he was upset. At noon that day, his mom was having a nap in the bedroom while his dad was working out of the home. Mike suddenly found his mom’s wallet on the sofa in the living room. Usually, his mom would put the wallet close to her — not this time.
Mike found a good chance to get money. He thought he could secretly take some from his mom’s wallet without letting her discover it. Then, he slowly walked towards the wallet and opened it. There was lots of money. Mike took a few coins and walked out of the house, going directly to a store in his community.
He bought a bag of food that was very peppery and a bottle of iced Coca-cola. Instead of returning home, he hung around outside to enjoy the food and the drink in case his mom discovered it. When he opened the food bag, a strong, hot and sweet smell rushed into his nose. He tasted some: it was delicious. But it was too hot and his mouth seemed to be on fire. However, he didn’t take notice of it. Minutes later, he ate up the bag of junk food and finished the drink. Then he returned home. His mother was still sleeping.
In the afternoon that day, Mike began to feel uncomfortable and wanted to vomit. He felt pain in his stomach. At first, he could stand it. However, finally, he couldn’t bear it anymore and told his mom that he felt sick. But Mike didn’t tell his mom the truth that he had some hot junk food. Not knowing what was wrong with Mike, his mom was worried.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
She hurried to drive him to the hospital.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mike realized he should admit what he had done.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighborhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money with which to buy food. As they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was breathing down their necks.
One day, Ali took Zahra's shoes to a shoe repairman to be fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it a secret. Zahra agreed and the two decided to share Ali’s running shoes. Zahra's school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.
Ali heard about a long distance race that was held for the boys in the city.When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win her the new shoes.
The day of race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength, and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finish line drew near, another runner collided(碰撞) with Ali from behind and he crashed to the ground.
Ali looked up and saw the other boys rushing ahead.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Filled with delight, Ali walked home quickly.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Last Saturday, when I was checking out at the grocery store, the girl in front of me caught my attention. She was in a red coat and had long hair. She was pushing one shopping cart with a basket in front. The basket held just a few items: corn, a lot of bread, some canned goods and a bunch of gorgeous colored roses. Several times when I was looking at her, I caught her looking at those lovely roses and smiling. I thought she must like roses very much. Therefore, I commented that those roses were, indeed, very lovely and beautiful. She said, "Roses are my grandma's favorite flowers, and I really want to buy some for her. "
Then; when I was waiting to bill my items, I heard the girl say to the cashier, "Em. . . , you can put those roses back, because I really can't afford them now. I don't have enough money. "
On hearing that, I asked her if she allowed me to buy them for her. She shook her head and said, "Why would you want to do that? You certainly don't have to. "I replied that I just wanted to give her "a special thing" because her grandma loved them so much. However, she still seemed hesitant. Then I told her that she would be doing me a great kindness if she allowed me to gift them to her. With tears in her eyes, she agreed and thanked me again and again.
The moment I handed the cashier the money for the roses, I noticed he was a little teary too. As I said goodbye to him and began to walk away, I found the girl holding the roses and staring at me at the gate.
注意∶1. 续写词数应为 150词左右; 2. 请按如下格式作答。
When I walked out of the store, one of my past memories crowded in.
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I have given the girl beauty and made her day beautiful.
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Kay Day, an 87-year-old UK woman, loves elephants. But Day, who suffers from dementia(痴呆), rarely leaves her nursing home room and hasn’t seen a real elephant for a really long time. Until now.
Day is so fond of elephants that her room is full of elephant photos and toys. She dreamed of seeing an elephant up close again but never thought it would happen. On Wednesday, August 9, 2023, Day’s dream became a reality after her nursing home took her on a special trip to the Whipsnade Zoo.
The nursing home collected money to be able to realize Day’s dream. “Day doesn’t join in many activities and tends to spend quite a lot of time alone,” said the nursing home manager. “So when we sat and discussed wishes, we found out she would love to see an elephant. When we found the Elephant Experience at Whipsnade and contacted them, we said we should make her dream come true!”
Day was so excited about going to the zoo that she marked off the days on her elephant-themed calendar. Day’s carers telephoned her family and asked them to come along on the trip to support her on that exciting day.
Since the Whipsnade Zoo is a protection zoo that is working to protect wildlife as well as connect people with nature, the staff runs a lot of programs including various animal experiences and “Be a Keeper” days.
Day often told people around her that she would like to pet and feed the elephants herself as she did many years before. And she said that the elephants’ trunks (象鼻) are her favourite part of the huge animals. “It’s such a wonderful feeling to have an elephant take some food out of your hand, put it in his trunk, curl (卷起) it up and put it in his mouth, ” she told the reporter when she was interviewed.
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。
The day for going to the zoo finally came.
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The moment arrived when Day was able to meet the elephants up close.
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9 . I just had the most beautiful experience with Woolworths in Gladstone Park Shopping Centre. I did an online
Five to ten minutes later I got four missed
The online gentleman
Half an hour later, the lovely Adrian from Woolworths, who had
| A．trip | B．order | C．challenge | D．experiment |
| A．common | B．amazing | C．important | D．expensive |
| A．dealt with | B．made up | C．paid for | D．took away |
| A．stopped | B．volunteered | C．rested | D．left |
| A．talks | B．calls | C．replies | D．pictures |
| A．message | B．response | C．letter | D．gift |
| A．accepted | B．judged | C．questioned | D．realized |
| A．argued | B．noticed | C．explained | D．warned |
| A．remember | B．know | C．admit | D．agree |
| A．unfortunately | B．interestingly | C．equally | D．secretly |
| A．company | B．workshop | C．house | D．store |
| A．responsible | B．encouraging | C．independent | D．confident |
| A．positive | B．proud | C．excited | D．stressful |
| A．invited | B．reminded | C．attracted | D．served |
| A．lent | B．gave | C．sold | D．showed |
Magnet (磁铁) fishing is a new trend in which a heavy-duty magnet is pulled through a body of water to see what metal objects can be brought to the surface, And while most of these treasure hunters find common items like cans, nails and bicycles, some lucky people have been able to find something surprising.
George Tindale, a 15-year-old with an adventurous spirit, searches riverbeds for lost treasures as a hobby. One lucky day, he struck gold when his heavy-duty magnet pulled out a safe (保险箱) containing thousands of dollars. Then he surprised everyone by tracking down the safe’s rightful owner and returning the safe to him.
George made his unbelievable discovery one day when he was searching the River With am in Grantham, Lincolnshire, with his father, Kevin. They both enjoy magnet fishing: using a strong magnet to pull lost metal objects out of river and ocean depths.
When George and Kevin’s magnet found a heavy object, the curious pair pulled it out to see what they had discovered. They wiped years of river sand and mud from a small safe and forced it open.
Inside, they found some wet business documents, an old wallet and a bag containing $2,500. Further check discovered that the safe also contained several bank cards, which listed the name they needed to track down the rightful owner. After some online searching, they learned that a local businessman of the same name, Rob Everett, reported his safe stolen 22 years ago. George and Kevin helped right the wrong 22 years later.
George and Kevin found Rob through his current business. Shocked that someone had found his safe 22 years after it had been stolen, Rob made plans to meet George and Kevin in his office.
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。
The owner of the safe told them the story of how it got lost.
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Rob was so impressed with George’s honesty that he would offer him a job.
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