1 . In 2019, after retiring from her career as a social worker, Ane Freed - Kernis decided to build a home workshop and devote all of her free time to stone carving. “I might be covered head to to e in dust but I’m happy — it was something I needed more of in my life when I hit 60,” she says.
This appeal has its origins in Freed - Kernis’ childhood. Growing up on her father’s farm in Denmark, she used to wander through the fields with her eyes fixed on the ground, looking for stones to add to her collection. “I’ve always been drawn to the shapes and textures (质地) of stones,” she says.
After moving to England in 1977 and training as a social worker, Freed - Kernis soon became occupied with her busy career and the demands of raising her son. Stones were the last thing on her mind, until her father died in 2005. “He took a stone carving course in his retirement, and I always thought stone seemed so fun but never had the time to look into it myself,” she says. “After he died, I became determined to learn in his honour.”
Signing up for a week-long stone carving course at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Freed-Kernis began to learn how to turn a block of rock into well-designed shapes. “It was really scary at the start because you would spend hours just hammering (锤打).”
Now 65, Freed-Kernis has a thriving small business built largely through word of mouth. She creates 12 to 15 pieces a year that can take anywhere from a few days to three weeks to complete, while her prices range from £ 200 to £ 3,000. “I’m making smaller ones,” she says. “I don’t have to depend on the money much, so I want to keep prices in the range that people can afford, mainly just covering costs and labour (劳动力).”
1. Freed-Kernis was first attracted by stones when ______.| A．she was 60 | B．she was a child |
| C．her father died | D．she moved to England |
| A．She never cared about her father. |
| B．She led a disappointing life in Denmark. |
| C．She spent lots of time studying stone carving. |
| D．She learned stone carving under the influence of her dad. |
| A．Hopeful and proud. |
| B．Confident and satisfied. |
| C．Nervous and frightened. |
| D．Impatient and unprepared. |
| A．They are easier to move by her. |
| B．They are more affordable to people. |
| C．She wants to save costs and labour. |
| D．She is too old to focus on making large ones. |
2 . “I have cancer.” Mom said and held me in a tight hug. I could feel her chest
For all of my twenty-four years, my mom had been
Mom didn’t stay
The operation was successful. The chemo(化疗) was the
Mom learned to share her fears with me, and it formed an even deeper
Basically, no matter where you are, the waves of life will always
| A．moving | B．beating | C．shaking | D．aching |
| A．supportive | B．sick | C．royal | D．bothersome |
| A．the same way | B．the other way | C．the rather way | D．the right way |
| A．down | B．up | C．out | D．around |
| A．furthest | B．worst | C．longest | D．best |
| A．smoother | B．easier | C．rougher | D．tougher |
| A．smiled | B．ran | C．complained | D．insisted |
| A．fell out | B．put out | C．died out | D．went out |
| A．save | B．waste | C．make | D．raise |
| A．friendship | B．barrier | C．bond | D．balance |
| A．defending | B．protecting | C．guiding | D．convincing |
| A．care | B．carry | C．joke | D．worry |
| A．weaknesses | B．ambition | C．resources | D．power |
| A．search | B．take | C．recognize | D．find |
| A．compete | B．realize | C．behave | D．consume |
In a big city lived a girl named Amy. She was a clever and lively child, but her heart was often clouded by dissatisfaction. Whenever she saw other children playing with new dolls or dressed in fancy outfits, Amy’s eyes would sparkle with envy and she wished she had them too.
So she always asked her mother, “Mom, can I have this?” or “Mom, can I have that?” If her mom didn’t satisfy her need, Amy would respond with endless complaints or tears. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t possess what she desired.
Her mother, a wise and loving woman, tried to reason with Amy. She explained that Amy already had so many toys and clothes. She said, “Amy, you’re lucky to have so much. Learn to be happy with what you have.” But Amy’s ears were deaf to her mother’s words. She could only see what she lacked, and her heart remained heavy with dissatisfaction.
Amy’s discontentment affected her social life at high school. Her bad temper and constant complaints about what she lacked made it difficult for her to make friends. When Amy saw her desk mate Lily using new stationery (文具), she immediately said, “I have better ones.” Once, hearing some girls talking about their new dresses, she interrupted rudely, “My mom will buy me the same one, even nicer.” Other kids couldn’t bear her attitude and kept away from her gradually, which made Amy feel more lonely and unhappy.
When Amy told her mother the “unfair treatment” she faced at school, her mother was deeply concerned about her. She knew that Amy’s constant dissatisfaction was not appropriate and would eventually ruin her happiness completely. “Something must be done.” she thought. After deep consideration, she decided to take a different approach. One day, she invited Amy to join her in volunteering at a local charity that helped the children there in need. Initially, Amy refused, but her mother’s determined attitude persuaded her successfully.
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。
As they arrived at the charity, Amy’s eyes were opened to a world she had never known.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________That voluntary experience and the conversation with the children changed Amy’s life.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Last Saturday, David was taking a walk in the park near his home when he noticed a woman with a boy of about eight years old. When David passed them, he heard the woman yell. “How stupid you are! You’re good at nothing.” David stopped and looked at the little boy. The boy said nothing. He just stood there, looking upset.
David was reminded of his English teacher Mrs Brown in middle school. After he entered a middle school, David lacked self-confidence because he was often made fun of by others. He was often told that he was good at nothing, which David behaved. But one day it all changed.
One day, in an English writing class, Mrs Brown asked them to read a novel. They were asked to write a new chapter of the novel after they finished reading it. A few days later, David handed in his story. He didn’t give it much thought. But the next day, to his surprise, the comment “well done” from Mrs Brown came into view the moment he turned to the page where the story was written. When David read that, he almost burst into tears. He never expected to be praised one day. He suddenly gained some self-confidence.
That day after he returned home, he wrote a short story and gave it to Mrs Brown the next morning. And again he was praised. David became very interested in writing. He often wrote short stories and asked Mrs Brown to read them improve writing skills. One year later, David joined the school newspaper and became an editor of it. He was no longer that boy who lacked self-confidence. He gained his confidence, and was hopeful about his future.
He succeeded in entering a college and kept writing. Several years after graduating from college, he had his first book published. With some more books coming out, he became famous as a writer in his country. And he owed his success to Mrs Brown’s encouragement. Without her encouragement, his life might be very different now.
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。
Inspired by his own life story, David decided to do something for that boy.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The mother was ashamed when she heard that.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Dave had loved basketball for as long as he could remember and he had never had a day without playing it. At primary school and junior high school he joined basketball clubs, attended training programs and watched basketball games, from which he learned the moves of the star players, wishing to play in a professional team like them and shine on the court.
Now as a senior high school student, however, his dream of becoming a professional player was dimming (变暗) because he was only of average height. He had to give up the hope of joining the school team. The guys on the school team were all tall boys who played matches and won honors for the school. They were like heroes. Dave watched them play and cheered them but he knew he would never be one of them.
Dave felt it a pity not to be tall enough, but this didn’t stop him from pouring his passion into basketball. He just played for the love of the sport. He played in the school gym with other boys or by himself every day, even during holidays and weekends, when it was open for two hours in the morning. He enjoyed every minute on the court making every effort to play better.
It was one Saturday morning. Dave was playing in the gym by himself, as all the other boys were busy with other weekend affairs. Then he noticed a tall boy approaching. It was Lankas. Everybody knows him as captain of the school basketball team. “Hi, Lankas,” Dave greeted him. “My name is Dave.” “Hi, Dave,” Lankas replied as he got closer. “Nice to see you here. Do you need an opponent (对手) to play against?” Dave was shocked, frozen right there, unable to believe his ears but somehow, he answered, “Why not?” So, a game of two players began. During the game, Dave went all out to play against this opponent, forgetting all about his height. It was a game he could play to his heart’s content. It was more like an enjoyment than a challenge. “Can we meet again?” Lankas asked.
1. Why did Dave give up the hope of joining the school team? (3 points)2. What made Dave keep playing basketball? (3 points)
3. What might happen after the game? (4 points)
6 . Papa’s jaw dropped when Mama told him that Sister had cheated on her final exams—not to succeed but to fail. “It’s unbelievable!” he said. “Sister has always been so proud of her good grades!”
“Yes, she has,” said Mama. “But it’s not unbelievable. It just shows how badly she wanted off the swimming team.”
“Wanted off the swimming team?” said Papa. “She never said anything about that to me.”
“Of course she didn’t,” said Mama. “She was afraid you’d blow your top. You already had her getting a swimming scholarship to college and winning gold medals at the Olympics. Can you imagine how much pressure she must have felt? For her, being on the team couldn’t have been much fun.”
“Oh, my gosh!” Papa said, clapping a hand to his forehead. “I’ve been so stupid! I just thought she’d want to be a champion swimmer because she’s so good at it.”
“It’s like anything else, dear,” said Mama. “No matter how good at it you are, if it stops being fun, you won’t want to do it anymore.”
Papa put his head in his hands.
“She must be really mad at me,” he mumbled. “Maybe I should say sorry to her.”
Sister’s footsteps could be heard on the stairs. She came into the kitchen and looked hopefully up at her parents.
“Honey,” said Mama with a smile, “your papa and I have decided that there’s no reason for you to be on the swimming team if you don’t want to.”
Sister’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Yippee!” she cried.
“And,” added Papa, “there’s no need for any more drills. I’m sure you’ll bring your grades back up all by yourself.”
Sister ran to Papa and jumped into his arms. She gave him a big hug. “I’m going to go play cards with Lizzy!” she said. “See you later!”
From the kitchen window, Mama and Papa watched their daughter run down the sunny road toward Lizzy’s house.
“It’s good to see her happy again,” said Mama.
“It sure is,” Papa agreed. “As for the swimming team, there’s always next year.” “If?” Mama prompted him.
“Oh, right,” said Papa. “If she wants to.”
Mama smiled. “At least you’re learning, dear,” she said. She kissed him. “Well, you know what they say,” Papa said. “Better late than never.”
1. The underlined expression “blow your top” probably means .| A．change your opinion | B．become very excited |
| C．get very angry | D．fall down with fear |
| A．what she was willing to | B．what she felt easy to |
| C．what she was able to | D．what she felt right to |
| A．Cruel but reasonable. | B．Crazy but confident. |
| C．Stubborn but honest. | D．Ambitious but considerate. |
| A．It is easier to say something than to do it. |
| B．Health is better than wealth. |
| C．It’s never too late if you really want to learn and change. |
| D．To do something is better than to do nothing. |
It was summer, and my dad wanted to treat me to a vacation like never before. He decided to take me on a trip to the Wild West.
We took a plane to Albuquerque, a big city in the state of New Mexico. We reached Albuquerque in the late afternoon. Uncle Paul, my dad’s friend, picked us up from the airport and drove us up to his farm in Pecos.
His wife Tina cooked us a delicious dinner and we got to know his sons Ryan and Kyle. My dad and I spent the night in the guestroom of the farm house listening to the frogs and water rolling down the river nearby. Very early in the morning, Uncle Paul woke us up to have breakfast. “The day starts at dawn on my farm, “he said. After breakfast, I went to help Aunt Tina feed the chickens, while my dad went with Uncle Paul to take the sheep out to graze (吃草). I was impressed to see my dad and Uncle Paul riding horses. They looked really cool.
In the afternoon, I asked Uncle Paul if I could take a horse ride, and he said yes, as long as my dad went with me. I wasn’t going to take a horse ride by myself anyway. So, my dad and I put on our new cowboy hats, got on our horses, and headed slowly towards the mountains. “Don’t be late for supper, “Uncle Paul cried, “and keep to the track so that you don’t get lost!” “OK!” my dad cried back. After a while Uncle Paul and his farm house were out of sight. It was so peaceful and quiet and the colors of the brown rocks, the deep green pine trees, and the late afternoon sun mixed to create a magic scene. It looked like a beautiful woven (编织的) blanket spread out upon the ground just for us.
1. 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。续写的词数应为150左右。注意：
续写词数应为150左右；
请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Suddenly a little rabbit jumped out in front of my horse.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
We had no idea where we were and it got dark.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Task one: put the correct forms of the following words into the blanks.
| drive comfort out permit loss dusks noon last roll delight trip next | ||
| time | event | feeling |
| One summer day | My dad decided to take me on a new | excited |
| In the late afternoon | Uncle Paul picked us up and | Curious |
| The first night on the farm | We spend the night in the guestroom listening to the frog and water | |
| Early in the | I helped Tina feed the chickens. My dad and Uncle Paul took the sheep | admirable |
| In the afternoon | I got a | |
| At | We got | …… |
3. Task two: answer the following questions.
1) How did the writer or the horse react to the rabbit?
2) How did the writer and his father get lost?
3) What difficulties did they meet?
4) How did they find their way back to Uncle Paul’s house?
8 . When it comes to adopting a dog from a shelter, senior dogs are often overlooked favor of puppies. And while younger animals are often seen as cute, older pets have great charm, too — and they still have a lot of love to give!
In order to help get its elderly residents the attention they deserve, Florida-based Flagler Humane Society came up with a funny idea-dressing the older dogs in senior citizen clothes. The scarf dressed up their senior dogs as if they’re senior citizens for an adorable photoshoot. They worked together with their adoption specialist, who is a photographer, and carried out the great adoption promotion, to find a warm home for the senior dogs.
The final photos showed the adorable residents dressed in hats, wigs, and glasses. One dog, named Bambi, wore a wig, a beautiful scarf, and a purse. “She was so scared when she first came to us. It didn’t take her too long to get used to the staff, and we’d love to get her into a loving home as soon as possible,” said the Flagler Humane Society. “Don’t let her age impede you. Bambi is ready for walks, play, hug, and rolling in the grass wherever you are!” There’s also Kale, who was styled in a hat, glasses, and a baby blue sweater. “This sweet senior boy is looking for a second chance at the life he deserves,” said the shelter. “While he has some limits to his vision, it doesn’t stop him from being right next to his people and asking for all the love and affection he can get!”
All in all, the photoshoot was a success! All but three of the senior dogs have already been adopted.
1. What problem did old dogs in the shelter face?| A．They received little care from people. |
| B．They were ignored by adopters. |
| C．They were afraid of human contact. |
| D．They couldn’t play with other dogs. |
| A．To get senior dogs adopted. |
| B．To advertise for the shelter. |
| C．To catch the residents’ attention. |
| D．To take pictures of old dogs. |
| A．Attract. | B．Stop. | C．Inspire. | D．Impress. |
①Successful. ②Influential. ③Creative. ④Moving.
| A．①④ | B．②④ | C．③④ | D．①③ |
9 . After spending a long night driving the day before, Todd left his hotel around 5:30 a.m.to a funeral in Green Bay, Wisconsin. About half an hour into his journey, he
Todd figured there was little
The repairman
Distressed, Todd started finding a backup plan.Could he
“I must have looked pretty stressed out at this time because Glenn then reached into his pocket,
The men had met just 10 minutes before and didn’t know each other’s names, but Geib insisted.Todd made it to the
“The 74-year-old repairman turned a terrible day into a good one with a great
| A．noticed | B．imagined | C．recognized | D．grasped |
| A．way | B．choice | C．idea | D．chance |
| A．identity | B．possibility | C．ability | D．reality |
| A．gift | B．machine | C．repair | D．work |
| A．horrible | B．fancy | C．typical | D．quick |
| A．explained | B．discussed | C．examined | D．considered |
| A．adjusted | B．lent | C．checked | D．fixed |
| A．speed | B．height | C．range | D．distance |
| A．borrow | B．rent | C．steal | D．own |
| A．available | B．practical | C．capable | D．useful |
| A．took out | B．took in | C．took on | D．took off |
| A．understood | B．suggested | C．argued | D．added |
| A．shop | B．home | C．funeral | D．town |
| A．warm | B．thankful | C．open | D．ashamed |
| A．lecture | B．training | C．education | D．lesson |
Peter, a 5-year-old boy, showed such great interest in seashells that he would rush to pick them up with his 3-year-old sister, Shirley. They screamed out their joy as Peter collected his treasure into his pockets. For Peter, sea shells lay shining on the peaceful beach, waiting for him, just like stars twinkling (闪烁) in the sky. As waves touched them, they seemed to be flowers blooming (绽放) in gentle wind.
One day, Peter was wandering through a market with Shirley with some shells in his pocket. Suddenly Peter found his younger sister was lagging (落后) behind. He stopped and looked back, finding Shirley standing in front of a toy shop and staring at something with great interest. The boy went back to her and asked, “What do you want?” Shirley pointed at the doll, wearing a smile on her innocent face. Peter held his younger sister’s tiny hand, walking into the shop. He tiptoed (踮起脚尖) to reach for the doll, and like fulfilling an elder brother’s duty, gave the precious doll to Shirley. Holding tightly the doll, the sister was very happy.
The shopkeeper was watching everything and enjoyed seeing the mature (成熟的) behavior of the boy. Now the boy came to the counter and asked the shopkeeper, “How much does this doll cost, Sir?” The shopkeeper was a cool man, who had suffered from something in his life. So he asked the boy with love, “Well, what can you pay?” Peter reached into his clothes for money that was intended for these two little kids’ breakfast. Having counted the money, Peter put it with care on the counter, asking again, “Sir, is it enough for my little sister’s doll?” The amusing scene just in front of the shopkeeper eventually brought a smile to his face. Shaking his head slightly, he replied, “My boy, I am afraid it seems not to be enough.”
1. (英译汉) Peter reached into his clothes for money that was intended for these two littlekids’breakfast.2. (汉译英) 他的眼睛盯着Peter的口袋，不知道Peter会怎么做。
(with复合结构;fix on)
3. What words can be used to describe the little boy?
4. How did the little boy intend to pay?
5. What might happen next?
