2 . When my son was eleven years old, he came home from school in tears one day. A couple of the older kids bullied (欺负) him at the bus stop. Rob wanted to stay home from school, so he wouldn’t have to meet the boys.

We called the school. “We’ll be happy to call the boys’ parents,” We were told, “And you should call the police.” “We don’t know what we will do yet.” I said. I felt that calling the police was a choice to be used when everything else failed, and I wanted first to consider other ways of dealing with the situation, I asked him to hold off calling the boys’ parents.

The next day was Saturday. Rob happened to look our of the window and said in fer, “There are the boys who beat me up!” Two older boys were standing in front of our house, as if they were waiting for Rob to step outside.

My wife Bev opened the door and said with a smile, “Hi guys. Would you like some ice cream?” They looked at each other in puzzlement. But they were teenagers, after all, so one of them said, “Sure. Why not?”

Bev quickly introduced herself, Rob’s younger brothers and me. She even introduced Rusty, the dog. “And I think you already know Rob,” She said. Her idea was to help them to see that Rob was a person, not a target. He had a family and even owned a family pet.

Bev drew the boys into chat while we ate ice cream. After a few minutes, she said, “I know there’s been some trouble at the bus stop. I think there may be a misunderstanding.” They nodded that there had indeed been trouble at the bus stop. She continued, “Maybe we can talk about the misunderstanding, so you can be friends.” We talked until the ice cream was finished. Finally the boys apologized.

Understanding is a difficult task. It may be easier to control conflict by force than to find a way to cooperate. Force can calm a situation. But understanding leads to peace.

1. Why didn’t the writer call the police?

A．He feared his son would be bullied again.

B．He meant to try some other ways to solve it first.

C．The police wouldn’t take the bullying seriously.

D．The school promised to call the boys’ parents.

2. What does “But they were teenagers, after all” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．They couldn’t refuse the attraction of ice cream.

B．They could be cheated into telling the truth.

C．They dared to face any challenges bravely.

D．They were too young to understand the invitation.

3. Why did Bev introduce her family and their dog?

A．To give the dog to the boys as a gift.

B．To advise the boys to have a family pet.

C．To expect the boys to treat Rob kindly.

D．To show off the wealth of the family.

4. From the text we can infer Bev was ________.

A．fond of children

B．angry with the boys

C．skilled at making ice cream

D．good at making peace

4 . Most people who ran the marathon last month spent days before resting up and days after recovering. But not Jacky Hunt-Broersma. In total, she ran 104 marathons in 104 days. If it’s confirmed by Guinness World Records, that would be a new world record. And she did it all with one leg and a prosthesis (假肢).

“Someone able-bodied had done it previously. I wanted to see if I could do it on a prosthetic leg and see what would happen,” she said. “I thought it would be a great way to inspire others to push their limits because I truly believe that we’re stronger than what we think. And I’ve been so pleasantly surprised that my body’s held up, everything’s held up and I’ve made it to 104.”

She actually did not pick up the sport until after she lost the lower part of her left leg in 2001 to a type of cancer called Ewing sarcoma. Runners using a prosthetic leg can’t use a regular one. They need a running blade (刀锋式跑步义肢). Hunt-Broersma has two, but she was only able to run with one because of the swelling she experienced in her left leg that made it impossible to connect to the other blade. But even with the pain that occurred, she has been able to put up with it and continued.

All together, Hunt-Broersma ran over 4,385 kilometers. During that time she’s had a lot of time to think and has learned a few things about herself. “It’s taught me how strong one can be and how important absolute determination is. If you’re mentally strong, you can do anything,” she said. “And our bodies are just amazing. . . This whole journey was impressive and super hard, but it’s told me how strong I can be as a person and how far I can push myself.”

1. Why did Hunt-Broersma decide to run marathons?

A．She wanted to set a new record.

B．She intended to challenge herself.

C．She was driven by her interest.

D．She was inspired by people like her.

2. What difficulty did Hunt-Broersma come across?

A．She didn’t get professional training.

B．She found it hard to keep her balance.

C．She suffered discomfort in her left leg

D．She couldn’t use regular running blades.

3. What message does the author convey through the story?

A．Rome wasn’t built in a day.	B．Time works wonders.
C．A good beginning is half the battle.	D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.

5 . Daniel has been feeding the students of a state university for years. As a canteen worker, he tries to make a connection with all his customers in a truly _______ way: remembering all students’ names, with a smile, even if he has only met them a few _______. This amazing ability has made Daniel a (n) _______ person among students at the university.

Daniel’s struggles began on his birthday in 2023, when an electrical fire _______ into life in the house he shared with his mom. Their place was almost destroyed, even though he got himself and his mom to safety. _______, shortly after the worker lost his home, his old father passed _______. Since then he and his mom have been struggling.

When the students heard of this sad story, they decided to give back to this _______ worker by starting a fund-raising (筹款) _______. “Daniel has gone above and beyond to care for students without expecting anything _______: now we have the opportunity to help out a man in need”, according to the fund-raising page. “The fundraiser is the least that students can do to help the man that always ________ our day,” said a student.

Daniel was extremely ________ to the helping hand. “I do not take any of these beautiful acts of kindness ________ or for granted” he wrote. “Working in food industry isn’t easy, sometimes you feel completely ________ as a person. Thank you all so much for loving me and for ________ all that I do.”

When you lead with your heart, goodness comes ________ to you.

1.

A．common

B．unique

C．humorous

D．generous

2.

A．days

B．weeks

C．times

D．months

3.

A．curious

B．hard-working

C．inspiring

D．famous

4.

A．burst

B．ran

C．looked

D．crashed

5.

A．Worse still

B．After all

C．In short

D．In contrast

6.

A．by

B．on

C．down

D．away

7.

A．eager

B．nice

C．determined

D．persistent

8.

A．race

B．game

C．page

D．parade

9.

A．in return

B．in turn

C．in surprise

D．in trouble

10.

A．frightens

B．brightens

C．shortens

D．broadens

11.

A．shameful

B．regretful

C．hopeful

D．grateful

12.

A．seriously

B．highly

C．lightly

D．totally

13.

A．astonished

B．disturbed

C．ignored

D．connected

14.

A．eating

B．donating

C．expecting

D．valuing

15.

A．back

B．up

C．across

D．out

8 . Power of Perseverance (毅力)

There was once a young man named David. Born into a humble family, David had to _________ to make ends meet(维持生计). However, he was determined to rise above his _________ and achieve greatness.

When David was in high school, he faced bullying (欺负) from his schoolmates, which left him feeling _________. But instead of giving way to the negativity, he chose to see the situation as a chance for _________________________. He _________ throughout the tough times and found strength in overcoming his difficulties.

After graduation, David had a dream of becoming a successful businessman. However, he had no money or _________ in the business world. But he refused to give up.

David _________ his first business project with just a few hundred dollars in his pocket. It was a struggle at first, but he struggled on. Slowly but _________ his business began to _________. As time passed, his company __________ into a multi-million-dollar enterprise (企业). His __________ and hard work paid off. David learned that tough conditions are not a __________ but a powerful driving force that can __________ us to achieve great things.

David’s __________ indicates that we all have the __________ to turn our difficulties into opportunities for growth and success.

1.

A．prepare

B．bet

C．struggle

D．run

2.

A．doubt

B．ability

C．average

D．circumstance

3.

A．inspired

B．defeated

C．concerned

D．touched

4.

A．fame

B．growth

C．survival

D．escape

5.

A．conquered

B．thought

C．targeted

D．persevered

6.

A．energy

B．ambition

C．connection

D．courage

7.

A．launched

B．polished

C．ensured

D．rebuilt

8.

A．unsteadily

B．surely

C．suddenly

D．likely

9.

A．take up

B．take in

C．take off

D．take over

10.

A．hurried

B．stole

C．developed

D．broke

11.

A．willpower

B．productivity

C．luck

D．creativity

12.

A．stepping-stone

B．milestone

C．flashlight

D．roadblock

13.

A．require

B．motivate

C．remind

D．guide

14.

A．experience

B．focus

C．vision

D．interest

15.

A．function

B．right

C．belief

D．potential

10 . Our neighbors had a loud party last night. We weren’t _______ but this was one of those celebrations that I didn’t mind. They are a bunch of young, single guys and I would have felt out of place.

What _______ me was the way they behaved. One of the young men came over _______ in the day to “warn” us of the upcoming event and said it would be over at about 11 p.m. That was the first step. Even more _______ was what they did next. “Here’s my _______,” offered our neighbor _______. “Text me if it’s too noisy.” That was a level of _______ I had never experienced in all my years of being a neighbor!

And it really worked in their favor. My husband and I were so friendly that even when the event went past the _______ end time, even when the music reached high decibels (分贝), and even when we couldn’t get through on the phone number, we felt no _______. We knew they would stop and be ________ eventually.

It takes such little effort to make people feel that they ________ and get people on your side. Everyone needs to let loose every now and then, especially in these uniquely tough times. But people who do it without ________ others are few and far between. I hadn’t fully ________ my neighbors until this week. We had adopted that all too American “live and let live” posture. But now I see them in a new light and with greater ________. They didn’t just bring noise to the neighborhood; they shone the light of ________.

1.

A．located

B．explored

C．challenged

D．invited

2.

A．trapped

B．impressed

C．annoyed

D．embarrassed

3.

A．later

B．closer

C．earlier

D．further

4.

A．disappointing

B．frightening

C．puzzling

D．amazing

5.

A．phone number

B．room number

C．account number

D．car number

6.

A．anxiously

B．politely

C．regularly

D．obviously

7.

A．imagination

B．consideration

C．limitation

D．organization

8.

A．promised

B．supplied

C．designed

D．compared

9.

A．stress

B．anxiety

C．worry

D．anger

10.

A．responsive

B．adaptable

C．continuous

D．respectful

11.

A．figure

B．succeed

C．matter

D．access

12.

A．gathering

B．inviting

C．meeting

D．disturbing

13.

A．noticed

B．delivered

C．explored

D．proved

14.

A．surrounding

B．appreciation

C．curiosity

D．distance

15.

A．gratitude

B．apology

C．thoughtfulness

D．inspiration