3 . We recently went to a friend’s backyard to meet her new puppy. He was lovely beyond words. Our friend was wearing smiles as she told us about his first days at home. It was truly puppy love.

Later that night, I walked behind my own dog to help her climb up the stairs, and heated up the homemade food that helps control her kidney (肾) disease. You can’t imagine these extra cares when you began raising a puppy. For me, I am lucky to know this more “mature” love. To love, and to be loved, by an old dog is truly an honor.

For a long time, I denied the fact that our dog was getting old, or I really didn’t notice that Skyler was getting older. But these days, there is no denying the fact. Sometimes, she will fall while eating from her bowl and wait patiently for someone to help her up.

I still remember the first days of Skyler. In the home, she always needed to be beside someone, with at least one part of her touching one part of you. At the park, it was different. If we started running toward the end of a field, she would cross the finish line before we had even made it halfway.

Now, at 15, Skyler still needs to be right beside you on the couch. But it is hard. It is sad to see this once fast, strong dog struggle to walk up the front steps or to see her begging eyes whenever she needs help to get up on the couch. Over the past few years, we have had to forgo certain family trips because we wanted to take care of her at home.

However, I know this experience has taught our children about sacrifice and unconditional love. It has taught me the same. Dogs give us unconditional love. The least we can do is give it back. There will likely be times of great sadness and hardship, but in the end, you will feel very lucky for the time you have together.

1. In paragraph 2, why does the author mention what he did late that night?

A．To complain about the troubles of raising a dog.

B．To show her regret of meeting her friend’s new puppy.

C．To tell readers that she is taking care of an old sick dog.

D．To illustrate the correct way of caring for dogs.

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．When the author first got Skyler, she was always running in the house.

B．Skyler has always been eager to have people beside her.

C．Skyler will beg for some food before she gets up.

D．To take care of Skyler, the author often brings her during the journey.

3. What does the underlined word forgo in paragraph 5 most probably mean?

A．cancel

B．forget

C．organize

D．delay

4. According to the passage, what does the author think of keeping a dog?

A．She is strongly against keeping a dog.

B．She considers it a double-edged sword to keep a dog.

C．She suggests we should think twice before keeping a dog.

D．She thinks keeping a dog is worthwhile for the whole family.

4 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word or a phrase that best fits each blank.

Color my world

Once there was a girl named Rose. Rose always felt blue because she lived in a dull, gray village     1     life was black and white. She longed for adventure,     2     her life was as plain as a brown paper bag.

One day while walking down the street, she saw Eric, a former classmate, in     3     red car, and he caught her eye. He looked very happy. He stopped and said, “Hop in, let’s paint the town red!”

Rose was a little hesitant, but Eric’s infectious (有感染力的) spirit and the sight of the car’s shiny red outer     4     (excite) her. They drove off into the sunset and found     5     in a city that was lively and full of color. The buildings     6     (paint) in all shades of the rainbow. The streets were alive with people     7     (dress) in colorful clothing.

As they drove through the city, Rose saw a rainbow in the sky, and she felt as if she were on cloud nine. Eric took her to a party, and she danced     8     she was red in the face.

When the party was over, Eric drove Rose home. But it wasn’t until she was walking to her door that she came up with a great idea. She realized that she needed to stop     9     (chase) rainbows and add some color to her gray existence. She decided to live her life in full color.

The next day, Rose took a walk in the village. She noticed that the trees were green, and the flowers bloomed in many colors. She realized that her village was not as dull as she had thought. Rose noticed a shop     10     sold paint. She purchased some and painted her house     11     (bright) color she could find. She was very happy     12     the result. Her neighbors were amazed at the transformation and decided to paint their houses bright colors,     13    .

Before long, the whole village was painted in bright colors, and it seemed that a rainbow     14     (fall) upon it. It was a red-letter day for everyone! Rose realized that looking at things in a different light had made all the difference.

7 . When I first moved away from home to study, I started out living in student housing. We all had our own rooms, but every floor shared a kitchen and a common room. There was no supervision from family members, and we were expected to take care of ourselves. I had a neighbor who had, like most of us, just moved away from home. It was his first time on his own, and he felt unhappy.

We had to teach this poor boy EVERYTHING. It started with the mystery of why the plates in the cupboard were always greasy (有油渍的). It turned out that the boy didn’t know he had to use hot water to wash the dishes; he just washed them in cold water and put them back.

He spent the first six months complaining about how he was always running out of money. This was because he didn’t know how to cook. The rest of us lived on the usual student diet and treated ourselves to a pizza on weekends. However, he got fast food every single day. I could feed myself for a month on his weekly meal budget. Moreover, he had no idea how to wash clothes with a washing machine. I had to take him shopping for laundry detergent (洗衣粉) first because he didn’t know what it was. He thought he could just put ordinary soap in the washing machine.

To his credit, the boy was very grateful for the help and very depressed that no one had taught him how to do all these things before he moved out.

One day, the boy’s mother came to visit. He happily introduced all of us to his mother. After we graduated, I was invited to his wedding. He introduced me to his new wife as “the one who taught me how to be a man”.

1. What does the underlined word “supervision” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Difference.

B．Guidance.

C．Escape.

D．Hope.

2. What can we learn about the boy?

A．He lacked common sense in housework.	B．He got married to the author.
C．He always washed dishes in hot water.	D．He didn’t get along well with his mother.

3. Why did the boy always have money problems?

A．He often cooked expensive meals.	B．He bought himself a pizza every month.
C．He treated his neighbors on weekends.	D．He didn’t know how to spend reasonably.

4. Which word best describes the relationship between the boy and the author?

A．Worrying.

B．Poor.

C．Close.

D．Disappointing.

8 . Directions:   After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct.   For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Diary

Kyra Peralte thought keeping a diary might help her sort out her troubled feelings. In April 2020, the mother of two in New Jersey, started writing about the challenges of handling work, marriage and motherhood during a global crisis.

Writing released emotions, but Peralte, now 46, wanted to know how other women were doing. So she made an unusual offer. She invited women from near and far to fill the     1     (remain) lined pages of her notebook with their own stories. She named the project The Traveling Diary.

So many wanted to participate     2     Peralte decided to create a website (thetravelingdiarytour.com) for people to add their names to the queue. She came up with a system: each person     3     (get) to keep the diary for three days and fills as many pages as she wishes. Then she is responsible for mailing it to the next person.

So far, more than 2,000 women from 30 countries     4     (participate). Of course, not all those entries could fit in just one journal. More than 50 of these notebooks are currently     5     use. About 20 completed ones are back in Peralte’s possession.

Each participant fills the pages with her own handwriting, narrating her experiences, recounting obstacles she faced, and sharing     6     (learn) lessons.

Kirsty Nicol, 31 from London, received the journal in March 2021. She said reading the entries allowed her to transport her into the lives of     7     and find bits of wisdom they left.

One such pearl came from a woman in Australia. She had written: “Working with the setbacks. Not against them. Patience and gratitude. It’s a dance. Life is moving and we     8     stamp our feet in rejection, or we can gracefully embrace the mess, tidying as we go.”

“It has really evolved into a community,” Peralte says. She sends participants a weekly newsletter and often hosts online meetings so the women get the chance to get to know one another more, share stories and feel     9     (distant). Some of the women, she says, have even become close friends. Her spontaneous idea, she says, has had a profound effect on the women     10     were part of it. “The Traveling Diary is making sisters out of strangers.” She says.

9 . Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word. For the other blanks, fill in each blank with one proper word. Make sure that your answers are grammatically correct.

Love from the Apple Tree

Once upon a time, there used to be a tall and big apple tree. A little boy, every day to the tree down, climbed up     1     (pick) apples to eat, and slept in the shade of the tree. He loved the apple tree, and it loved to play with him. The little boy gradually grew up and stopped     2     (come) to play every day. One day he came to the tree, picked all the apples and left happily. Another day, the boy came again, and cut off all the branches, happily away to build a house himself. One summer, the boy came back, cut down her tree trunk, built a boat,     3     (sail) away, and did not come back for a long time. After years, the boy returned at last. He was old and wanted     4     more than a place to rest. “Old root is     5     (suitable) to sit down and rest, come on, sit down and rest with me!” The boy sat down, and the apple tree was so happy that it shed tears.

This is a story of everyone. The tree is like our parent.     6     we are young, we love to play with Mom and Dad. Having grown up, we leave them, and only come to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they     7     to make you happy.

    8     your parents can give you is not necessarily the best in the world, but they will try their best to give you all, and they are afraid that it is not enough; maybe they never said “I love you”, but love you in their own way for a lifetime,     9     is how most parents around the world show their love. For example, a tired father was watching his two daughters eat fried chicken, but he didn’t order anything, telling his daughters that he was not hungry,     10     more money in his pocket. We grow up to know that the world’s most affectionate lie is what the father and mother said: I do not love to cat it and I am not hungry.

10 . My sister Debbie had a baby the other day. Her labor (分娩) went pretty well — nothing out of the ordinary. I just can’t say the same for her ride to the hospital.

As a number of us from the family gathered in my sister’s hospital room to see the new baby, she gave an account of her trip to the emergency room. It began as most do — she woke up around 4 a. m. feeling the early pangs (阵痛) of labor. For the next two hours, she and her husband Bill timed the contractions (孪缩), and around 7 a. m. decided it was time to leave for the hospital.

On the way, however, Bill announced that he needed to stop at Starbucks for some coffee.

“Excuse me?” my sister asked. “I’m in labor — remember?”

“But I might get sick if I don’t have my morning coffee,” Bill explained.

Bill promised her that he’d order the coffee to go. The next thing Debbie knew was that her husband was rushing into their local coffee shop. Inside, the attendants behind the counter recognized Bill, and knew he was expecting a second son, and asked when the baby was due.

“Today,” Bill said ordering his Americano.”

“Today?” the cashier asked.

Bill nodded. “Yep, Debbie is already in labor.”

Everyone offered up congratulations.

“So, where’s your wife?” someone finally asked.

“Out there,” Bill said pointing toward the parking lot where my sister was sitting in the car puffing heavily through a contraction.

“Was she OK with stopping here?” the attendant asked, amazement in her voice.

“Not really,” Bill answered.

“Yeah, that’s probably why she isn’t waving back.”

As my sister concluded the story, Bill looked around at the disapproving faces in the hospital room.

“What’s wrong with that?” he asked.

“I had to have my coffee.”

I think his mother best summed it up when she announced, “I’m ashamed of my son.”

In his defense, Bill told us that he had been through the labor drill before with his first son, and therefore, he knew he had time for a quick cup of coffee. He also pointed out that he did ask my sister if she wanted something to drink, too.

Finally, Bill looked to me, the only other male in the room and asked if I agreed with him.

“I’m not saying a word,” I replied looking around the women in the room. “We’re outnumbered in here.”

I also explained that if I were ever having a heart attack, I wasn’t calling him for a ride to the hospital.

1. Debbie left home for the hospital _________ she felt the pangs of labor.

A．as soon as

B．soon after

C．a while after

D．a few minutes before

2. Who is the writer of the story?

A．Debbie’s sister.	B．Bill’s father-in-law.
C．Debbie’s mother.	D．Bill’s brother-in-law.

3. From his behavior we can see that Bill is _________.

A．not in love with his wife

B．a little inconsiderate

C．popular in the neighborhood

D．a very experienced father

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the story?

A．A coffee addict’s adventure

B．A ride out of the ordinary

C．Women outnumber men

D．Family affairs are hard to deal with