3 . “Will you go on this ride with me? ”my friend’s eleven-year-old daughter Jenny asked. I could have made up an excuse for not wanting to have a go. But earlier that morning, I was ready to push myself out of my comfort zone. Jenny stared at the ride, eager to experience the same excitement as the brave group of riders in front of us. I couldn’t say no.

After climbing into our seats, an attendant reached up, pulled down the bar, and locked it in place. The ride lifted us slowly, then turned us over like the blueberry pancakes I had eaten three hours earlier, and hoped to keep in their proper place. As I stared at the concrete directly below us, I had a sudden feeling of great fear. I wondered if I had replacement coverage for the phone that I was sure would slip out of my pocket and break into a million tiny pieces. I wondered when my new health insurance would kick in.

The ride touched down after twisting and turning our bodies. My friend was waiting for us at the exit. “How was it?” she asked. “Fine. No big deal,” I said, even though my head was spinning(旋转)like one of the other annoying machines dotting the midway.

Jenny walked ahead of us and convinced me to keep taking chances and sample more rides.

“Oh, look at the pirate ship(海盗船)!” she said. “That looks like a calm ride.”

“Let’s go, Auntie!” she said as she rushed to join others in line.

I followed her, confident the ride would be uneventful. When I reached the bottom, I tapped out like a WWF wrestler admitting defeat. Although my body was shaking and my head was still spinning, I felt exhilarated just like I was on cloud nine. That morning, I had set a goal, taken my first step to reach it, and felt the joy of achievement.

Each time you try something for the first time, you will grow—a little piece of the fear of the unknown is removed and replaced with a sense of satisfaction.

1. What made the author decide to try riding with Jenny?

A．The desired look in Jenny’s eyes.	B．The curiosity about the unknown.
C．The encouragement from other riders.	D．The eagerness to experience something exciting.

2. What happened to the author when she was in the high sky?

A．She lost her phone.	B．She got into a panic.
C．She was served pancakes.	D．She almost fell off the seat.

3. What does the underlined word “exhilarated” in paragraph 7 mean?

A．Occupied.

B．Excited.

C．Confused.

D．Disappointed.

4. What message does the story convey?

A．He who hesitates is lost.	B．It’s never too late to learn.
C．One’s potential can’t always be underrated.	D．It’s worthwhile to get out of your comfort zone.

4 . Zac Clark was doing yard work with his mother this past weekend. They ______ heard their neighbor’s wife calling for help. She told them her husband was ______ underneath their car.

Zac didn’t ______ to rush over to their house to help. “Instincts (本能) kicked in and I just ran over there. I guess the jack (千斤顶) broke or ______ and the car fell on top of him,” Zac said. “The only thing I could see was his legs and he was ______ .” Then, without any ______ , Zac came up and used all his strength to ______ the car off his neighbor a little bit. Then his wife and Zac’s mom could ______ him out from under it. Immediately the ______ neighbor got rushed to the hospital.

“He had a couple of broken bones and his face was messed up pretty bad, but the doctors told him if I wasn’t there, then he’d be ______ ,” Zac said.

Zac’s football coach Dave Carroll said he was ______ when he heard about what Zac had done. “He has just a ______ heart,” Carroll said. “Here’s a young man who’s been ______ sadness himself with his father passing away last summer, but he had no hesitation in saving somebody’s life.”

Zac said he was thinking of his late ______ as he lifted the car and wanted his neighbor to be able to spend his life with his family.

The lucky man is now ______ at home.

1.

A．actually

B．gradually

C．suddenly

D．initially

2.

A．trapped

B．laid

C．threatened

D．abandoned

3.

A．afford

B．hesitate

C．intend

D．dare

4.

A．functioned

B．maintained

C．slipped

D．switched

5.

A．observing

B．struggling

C．resisting

D．crying

6.

A．delay

B．recognition

C．reference

D．comparison

7.

A．fix

B．press

C．restore

D．lift

8.

A．kick

B．pull

C．pick

D．guide

9.

A．saved

B．separated

C．prepared

D．admitted

10.

A．dizzy

B．absent

C．dead

D．lost

11.

A．satisfied

B．amazed

C．confused

D．excited

12.

A．healthy

B．soft

C．strong

D．loyal

13.

A．going through

B．taking on

C．working out

D．adapting to

14.

A．teacher

B．mother

C．neighbor

D．father

15.

A．exercising

B．competing

C．promoting

D．recovering

5 . I was halfway across Indiana headed home to Kentucky when my car broke down. My phone was ______, too. I managed to get to a gas station, but it was Sunday in the early fall, and there was no ______ on duty. I was working my way through university then and had little money for ______ the car.

I sat alongside my car for several hours trying to ______ the heat when an older gentleman ______ to fuel his car.   He asked about my car, and I ______ my predicament (困境). To my ______, the gentleman told me that he had a daughter my age, and then he opened his trunk and ______ a tool set.

Right then and there, this total ______ examined my engine, explaining as he worked that my spark plugs (火花塞) hadn’t been charged for so long that they were ______ to function.   After about an hour, he ______ that my car was safe to finish the trip.

______ came at the hands of a stranger. ______ his clothes, working on a hot September afternoon, this man ______ a college student from disaster, just because she could have been his ______ .

1.

A．busy

B．loud

C．dead

D．secure

2.

A．mechanic

B．policeman

C．manager

D．guide

3.

A．washing

B．parking

C．purchasing

D．maintaining

4.

A．feel

B．beat

C．absorb

D．produce

5.

A．promised

B．refused

C．stopped

D．volunteered

6.

A．solved

B．noticed

C．escaped

D．explained

7.

A．surprise

B．regret

C．amusement

D．disappointment

8.

A．called up

B．pulled out

C．put down

D．threw away

9.

A．liar

B．beginner

C．stranger

D．loser

10.

A．free

B．ready

C．uncertain

D．unable

11.

A．pronounced

B．agreed

C．discovered

D．doubted

12.

A．Tiredness

B．Kindness

C．Loneliness

D．Carefulness

13.

A．Folding

B．Drying

C．Soiling

D．Mending

14.

A．saved

B．called

C．judged

D．banned

15.

A．friend

B．daughter

C．coworker

D．customer

6 . 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。

It was a beautiful day outside. The sky was a pale blue and the clouds were big and fluffy which made me delighted. I decided to take a walk in the park and enjoy the lovely weather. As I was walking, I saw a little girl sitting on a bench, looking sad and lonely. I approached her and asked if she was okay. She looked up at me with big, round eyes filled with tears and shook her head.

I sat down next to her and asked her what was wrong. She said that she had lost her doll and couldn’t find it anywhere. I offered to help her look for it and we searched the park together. We looked in every nook and cranny, behind trees and bushes, but couldn’t find the doll. We all felt frustrated and depressed. Just when we were about to give up, I saw a glimmer of pink behind a park bench. I picked up the doll and handed it to the little girl.

She was so grateful and gave me a big, warm hug. She told me that her doll was very special to her because the gift was given by her best friend who had gone abroad and she missed the best friend very much. She couldn’t thank me enough for helping her find it. As we walked back to her house, the little girl told me that she was new to the area and didn’t have any friends yet. She always felt lonely and sad and didn’t want to go to school. I comforted her and promised to come back and visit her again, and we exchanged phone numbers.

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。

Paragraph 1: As promised, I went to visit the little girl the following week.

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Paragraph 2: Years passed, and I received a wedding invitation from my childhood friend.

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7 . Growing up, Espino may have been better at sports than he was at graffiti(涂鸦), but his memories of hanging out with graffiti-writer friends and looking through graffiti books have stayed with him. After college, he went into the world of real estate, but continued to collect art.

A few years later, Espino began selling prints and creative objects at local events. In May 2022, he opened a Culture Gallery. “I wanted to see what it’s like to run a gallery and I wanted to help artists learn and make money from their artworks,” he explains.

The space caught the attention of Lou Jiménez, who is now the gallery’s director. Jiménez shares Espino’s vision to support local artists. “He comes from a different background and is leading by example,” she says of his real estate background. “He’s taking a huge risk because it requires a lot of investment and there is no art market here, so I appreciate the fact that we’re trying to expand that.”

Espino admits he initially underestimated how challenging sales can be. Even with this realization, his sights are set on success, and he’s already put himself in a “bigger mindset” to steadily accomplish that.

Espino hopes taking artists to other cities will provide the encouragement they might need to pursue a career in the arts. From his businessman’s perspective, Espino feels people need to be taught on the value of supporting local talent. “A lot of people in the community need to be explained to how much difference it makes to the community to invest in local art and as sad as that is, they just don’t see it or hear it,” he says.

Not one to back down from a challenge, Espino and his team have the passion and determination to construct a platform that will help local artists and, if all goes according to his plan, they hope to have a significant impact on the local arts community and culture for many years to come.

1. What challenge is Espino facing?

A．He has little knowledge of art.	B．He lacks potential customers.
C．He can’t afford much investment.	D．He has no access to famous artists.

2. What is the solution to the current difficulty according to Espino?

A．Encouraging the locals to work in other cities.	B．Enlarging the space of his gallery.
C．Raising people’s awareness of art.	D．Collecting even more funds.

3. Which of the following can best describe Espino?

A．Talented and patient.	B．Ambitious and helpful.
C．Considerate and disciplined.	D．Grateful and creative.

4. What is mainly talked about in the text?

A．The extension of a hobby.	B．The future of promising artists.
C．The popularity of graffiti.	D．The value of artworks.

9 .    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。

When I was in middle school, my social studies teacher asked me to enter a writing contest. I said no without thinking. I did not love writing. My family came from Brazil, so English was only my second language. Writing was so difficult and painful for me that my teacher had allowed me to present my paper on the sinking of the Titanic by acting out a play, where I played all the parts. No one laughed harder than he did.

So, why did he suddenly force me to do something at which I was sure to fail? His reply: “Because I love your stories. If you’re willing to apply yourself, I think you have a good shot at this.” Encouraged by his words, I agreed to give it a try.

I chose Paul Revere’s horse as my subject. Paul Revere was a silversmith (银匠) in Boston who rode a horse at night on April 18, 1775 to Lexington to warn people that British soldiers were coming. My story would come straight from the horse’s mouth. Not a brilliant idea, but funny; and unlikely to be anyone else’s choice.

What did the horse think, as he sped through the night? Did he get tired? Have doubts? Did he want to quit? I sympathized immediately. I got tired. I had doubts. I wanted to quit. But, like Revere’s horse, I kept going. I worked hard. I checked my spelling. I asked my older sister to correct my grammar. I checked out a half dozen books on Paul Revere from the library. I even read a few of them.

When I handed in the essay to my teacher, he read it, laughed out loud, and said, “Great. Now, write it again.” I wrote it again, and again and again. When I finally finished it, the thought of winning had given way to the enjoyment of writing. If I didn’t win, I wouldn’t care.

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。

A few weeks later, when I almost forgot the contest, there came the news.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I went to my teacher’s office after the award presentation.

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10 . 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。

Aunt Evie had a dollhouse. It had many toys there. Every Friday afternoon, I went to Aunt Evie’s home with my parents. The adults would sit around a table in the dining room, eating pie and talking, while I played in the dollhouse for hours.

Sometimes I would pick up these lovely toys and place them in different positions. It was really fun. One time I asked Aunt Evie where she got the toys so that I could buy some, too. To my disappointment, Aunt Evie said that most of them were specially handmade gifts from her friends and couldn’t be bought anywhere. One such toy was a little bear, which was my favorite. It was so beautiful that I wanted to own it badly. “If I take it, Aunt Evie may not notice it. ” I said to myself.

Therefore, on a Friday afternoon, I attempted to take the little bear away from Aunt Evie’s dollhouse. I had to wait until nobody was watching me, ‘and it took me hours to get the courage to put the little bear in my pocket. Once I got the little bear, I couldn’t wait to go home. I had to hide it somewhere at home, so that no one would know I took it. That night after I went home with my parents, I couldn’t go to sleep. “What a bad person I am! I stole something from my loved Aunt Evie.” I thought. When I woke up the next morning, I felt awful, but I couldn’t tell my parents, let alone return the little bear to Aunt Evie. I was embarrassed about my behavior. At some point, I started to hate the little bear and myself. And I knew if I didn’t do something, I wouldn’t get away from those bad feelings.

注意：
1. 续写的词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
So I decided to tell my mom what I had done.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My hand was shaking when I rang the doorbell of Aunt Evie’s house.
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