Brianna Kemp’s father had to move her entire family from Chicago to a small town in Maryland after his business went bankrupt. He didn’t lose faith in life, though, and decided to start his family’s new life there.
Along with the move came a new school for Brianna, who was 14 years old. She had a difficult time accepting the move, as she was a popular cheerleader at her school in Chicago. She also had a good set of friends, and she didn’t exactly like meeting new people.
When it was time to go to school, her father drove her there to wish her well. “Good luck, sweetheart. I know this is going to be difficult for you, but you can do it. I know you can!” he said, giving her a kiss on the forehead.
“Thanks, Dad,” Brianna said quietly before leaving the car. While she was sad, Brianna didn’t want her dad to worry even more, so she put on a brave smile and waved before her father drove away.
When she got to the school, she was greeted by the school secretary, Mrs. Keppler. “Hello, welcome to Chester Middle School! I’m going to give you a quick tour of the school,” she said.
“Thank you,” Brianna responded shyly and nervously.
Mrs. Keppler showed Brianna around, pointing her to the cafeteria, the school auditorium, and the gym. They also passed through the art and music rooms, the science laboratories, and the kitchen.
Finally, Brianna was led to the classroom and started her suffering first school day. Faced up with so many new faces, she made a brief self-introduction, still nervous. Then she was guided to sit in the back row alone. During the breaks, all the students seemed so familiar with each other. Brianna found it hard to start a conversation with any one of them, as they were always busy with their own friends. She felt like she was an outsider and didn’t belong. What a suffering the first school day was! So were the following weeks.
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。
When the day was finally over, Brianna shared her day with her father.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Over the next few weeks, things changed beyond Brianna’s imagination.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Once there was a little girl named Emily. Although her singing was very pleasant to hear, lacking of courage, she never dared to sing in front of strangers.
One summer, the neighborhood where she lived would hold a singing competition. Her best friend, Lucy, came to invite her to participate in the competition, but Emily said, “I’m afraid to take part in it.” Her mother said, “It’s okay; just do it bravely.” Emily followed her mama’s advice and decided to give herself a try. The day came. Emily and Lucy went to the competition site. But she was too timid (胆小的)to walk onto the stage. She had been waiting until others finished singing. She shakily (颤抖地)forced herself to stand on the stage. She started to sing,but her voice was so low. What’s worse, she was so nervous that she forgot the lyrics (歌词)after singing a few words. Being laughed at by others, embarrassed and shy, she ran away from the stage.
Some naughty boys ran after her and said, “Emily, coward (胆小鬼)!Emily, coward!” Emily didn’t argue with them. What she wanted was to go back home as quickly as she could. Finally, she rushed into the house, hugged her mom and cried sadly.
“Well, my poor girl, don’t cry. Tell me what happened to you,” asked her mom. Emily looked up at her mother and told her what she had experienced.
Listening to her, her mom cupped her face and said, “It doesn’t matter, girl. As long as you practice singing more in front of strangers, you will become braver little by little. So, my girl, don’t be beaten by a failure.You can go out to practice singing every day. No matter who is listening to you, go on singing and never stop. I believe there will be a harvest for you.”
注意：续写词数应为150左右。Emily listened to her mother carefully and followed her mom’s suggestion.
Going on singing,she walked into the park,where many people were singing and dancing.
3 . Making it to the Scripps National Spelling Bee (a spelling competition) is an amazing achievement for any kid, but for 11-year-old Neil Maes, being born deaf made his journey especially unlikely.
After receiving cochlear implants (人工耳蜗) in both ears as a baby, he had to train his brain to understand spoken words. It took countless hours of speech therapy (疗法).
“We didn’t even know that he’d be able to talk,” said his mother, Christy Maes.
Now the soft-spoken kid from Belton, South Carolina is officially one of the nation’s top young spellers. He earned the right to take the stage in the final rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Neil’s parents have always given him a tip, coaching him to always ask the pronouncer for the meaning of a word, so that he can be sure he heard it correctly. Most contestants do this anyway.
“He’s able to spell very difficult words. You tell him, ‘Spell this word,’ and he’s able to actually imagine what that sounds like in his head and spell the word. It’s actually quite impressive,” said Dr. Michael Hoa, who performed Neil’s cochlear implantation. “There’s a lot that goes into training your brain to do that.”
Neil’s parents didn’t know he was taking part in a spelling bee with his third-grade class until he came home and told them he had won. He made it all the way to his regional (地区的) bee that year, finishing second. Now a naturally shy fifth-grader, Neil is already worn out from the busy bee-week schedule, but he seems happy.
“Our main hope out of all of this was to encourage people that are going to be facing what we had to face,” Christy said.
But Neil said coming to the bee has motivated (激发) him to study even harder, so he can return next year.
“It’s just fun and I want to do it again,” Neil said.
1. What makes it difficult for Neil to enter the competition?| A．He is naturally shy. | B．He is unable to talk. |
| C．He has a hearing disability. | D．He is undergoing medical treatment. |
| A．The tip from Neil’s parents. | B．The coach’s pronunciation. |
| C．The meaning. | D．The word. |
| A．He’s amazing. | B．He’s very lucky. |
| C．He should study harder. | D．He should use his imagination. |
| A．Hard training will finally pay off | B．We can do more for disabled children |
| C．Spelling bees are becoming more popular | D．Deaf 11-year-old competes in National Spelling Bee |
4 . Spring Festival means a lot for Chinese people. However, given the sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks in different places, many cities
Several of Ralph’s coworkers came to our apartment to have
Linda brought me Spring Festival couplets
Eric invited me to
It was a very happy time and we have many good
| A．urged | B．forbade | C．allowed | D．invited |
| A．Otherwise | B．Therefore | C．Besides | D．However |
| A．congratulated | B．made | C．visited | D．celebrated |
| A．lunch | B．supper | C．fun | D．tea |
| A．common | B．original | C．traditional | D．sweet |
| A．skilled | B．concerned | C．weak | D．fortunate |
| A．got off | B．stood up | C．sat down | D．let out |
| A．forecasting | B．representing | C．spreading | D．adopting |
| A．assisted | B．impressed | C．served | D．provided |
| A．decorate | B．paint | C．fix | D．protect |
| A．greet | B．promise | C．join | D．help |
| A．guests | B．dishes | C．programs | D．events |
| A．small | B．big | C．half | D．whole |
| A．rest | B．head | C．back | D．tail |
| A．turn | B．send | C．carry | D．transform |
| A．scene | B．sign | C．period | D．schedule |
| A．absorbed | B．adapted | C．frightened | D．judged |
| A．athletes | B．adults | C．performers | D．singers |
| A．country | B．classroom | C．office | D．apartment |
| A．memories | B．views | C．imagination | D．expectations |
5 . Last month I took my son Tom to see his grandparents in the countryside. When we arrived, my father and mother were so
At lunch table, Tom told me proudly, “Dad, in the yard, our dog ran after a hen. Finally the hen was
Last weekend we visited Tom's grandparents again. I heard Tom
I ran fast and
In fact, in our life, we will do the same as the hen did.
1.| A．special | B．proud | C．happy | D．lucky |
| A．allowed | B．forced | C．invited | D．led |
| A．delighted | B．angry | C．hungry | D．frightened |
| A．suddenly | B．peacefully | C．secretly | D．carefully |
| A．thought | B．worked | C．feared | D．waited |
| A．breaks up | B．sets off | C．takes up | D．shows off |
| A．admitted | B．decided | C．understood | D．failed |
| A．talking | B．laughing | C．quarrelling | D．shouting |
| A．quickly | B．easily | C．excitedly | D．quietly |
| A．ducks | B．villagers | C．kids | D．chickens |
| A．approached | B．faced | C．challenged | D．passed |
| A．contacting | B．warning | C．protecting | D．preventing |
| A．lay | B．worked | C．sat | D．stood |
| A．defeat | B．remember | C．believe | D．change |
| A．brothers | B．parents | C．children | D．friends |
6 . I had a picnic one day with my sister. We both like to ride her motorcycle and that day we rode it to the nearest park. We bought some coffee and cakes, and then we enjoyed our food. Within a few hours, the sky changed and looked ready for a heavy rain. We packed everything and were ready to go. My sister, who was sitting on a bench suddenly was very still and couldn't talk to me.She couldn't move. Her eyes were rolling and she was about to lose consciousness(知觉). I held her in my arms and asked if she wanted to rest. She didn’t answer and only said“Sorry.”
It started to rain and I didn't know what to do. She was fighting to stay aware but her skin was pale and her eyes were acting strangely. Suddenly, from nowhere, a woman on a bicycle appeared. wearing a raincoat." She isn't looking good. Do you want me to call an ambulance(救护车)?”“Yes, please,yes!”I begged.
She did. Struggling with the rain, she managed to call some policemen, who quickly helped me carry my sister to a safer place. The ambulance arrived and we went to a hospital where she was treated in time and she came to life the next morning after some rest and medical help.
An interesting fact was that I guessed the woman in the raincoat was a doctor or a nurse. I later learned from one of the police officers who told me: “No.She was an ordinary person who took some courses on emergency situations(紧急情况).”
I am so grateful that she appeared exactly at the moment I don’t know why or how .I didn’t even get the chance to say thanks to her.
1. What happened when the author and her sister were ready to go?| A．They had a fight. | B．The sister fell ill suddenly. |
| C．They were caught in the rain. | D．They had difficulty packing things. |
| A．By giving first aid to her sister. | B．By protecting her sister from the rain. |
| C．By carrying her sister to the hospital | D．By asking for emergency medical help |
| A．To keep order in the park. |
| B．To send the sick girl to hospital. |
| C．To carry the sick girl to a safer place quickly. |
| D．To carry the sick girl onto the ambulance. |
| A．Thankful | B．Friendly |
| C．Doubtful | D．Admirable |
One day when I was 12, my mother gave me an order: I was to walk to the public library, and borrow at least one book for the summer. This was one more weapon for her to defeat my strange problem— inability to read.
In the library, I found my way into the “Children’s Room.” I sat down on the floor and pulled a few books off the shelf at random. The cover of a book caught my eye. It presented a picture of a beagle. I had recently had a beagle, the first and only animal companion I ever had as a child. He was my secret sharer, but one morning, he was gone, given away to someone who had the space and the money to care for him. I never forgot my beagle. Without opening the book titled Amos, the Beagle with a Plan, I borrowed it from the library for the summer.
Under the shade of a bush, I started to read about Amos. I read very, very slowly with difficulty. Though pages were turned slowly, I got the main idea of the story about a dog who, like mine, had been separated from his family and who finally found his way back home. That dog was my dog, and I was the little boy in the book.
My mother’s call returned me to the real world. I suddenly realized something: I had read a book, and I had loved reading that book. Everyone knew I could not read. But I had read it. Books could be incredibly wonderful and I was going to read them.
I never told my mother about my “miraculous” (奇迹般地) experience that summer, but she saw a slow but remarkable improvement in my classroom performance during the next year. And years later, she was proud that her son had read thousands of books, was awarded a PhD in literature, and authored his own books, articles, poetry and fiction. The power of the words has held.
1. The author’s mother told him to borrow a book in order to_____.
| A．encourage him to do more walking |
| B．help cure him of his reading problem |
| C．let him spend a meaningful summer |
| D．make him learn more about weapons |
| A．it contained pretty pictures of animals |
| B．he found its title easy to understand |
| C．he was reminded of his own dog |
| D．he liked children’s stories very much |
| A．The author’s mother rewarded him with books. |
| B．The author’s mother read the same book. |
| C．The author has become a successful writer. |
| D．The author has had happy summers ever since. |
| A．My Passion for Reading |
| B．Mum’s Strict Order |
| C．Reunion with My Beagle |
| D．The Charm of a Book |
8 . My mother always told me, “You should explore your own country before stepping out into the world. ”However, it seems like a tough mission to travel all across its expansive surfaces. But luckily for me, Via Rail Canada offered youths between the ages of 18 and 25 the chance to ride the train across Canada for the month of July. The ticket was a bargain $150. My best friends Trevor, Joel and Jeremy and I immediately jumped at the opportunity and secured four tickets on the great Canadian railroad.
For a group of 20-year-olds, this was like the first flight of young birds from the nest. When we approached the train station in the morning, our 22-day adventure from Sudbury to Vancouver was to begin. Eyes baggy from lack of sleep, we jumped on board as if it was the train to Hogwarts in Harry Potter. Although the thought of three full days on those tracks covering close to 3, 000 kilometres crushed our spirits a little, what happened next caught us by surprise.
The three days on board turned into a summer camp on rails. At night, we would climb up the glass-domed train car, which gave us a scenic view of the starry night sky, untouched by the harmful light pollution. Before we knew it, the warm sun rays beating down on our faces woke us up for another day on the rails. To my surprise, a sea of golden grain fields dominated the landscape we were in the Canadian Prairies.
Another day slipped away and we set up for another night in the dome. And this time we were greeted by night sky painted by a fantastic thunderstorm. Lightning was striking at an incredible rate. The spectacular and memorable light show left everyone in the glass bubble in complete disbelief.
Arriving in the Rocky Mountains was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. Before the train adventure, if I could have skipped the travel and arrived at the destination, I would have. That is no longer true. I’ve learned that the journey can be more enjoyable than the destination.
1. What has made the author’s train adventure across Canada a reality?| A．The encouragement given by his mother. | B．The appeal of the scenic views in the country. |
| C．The discount ticket offered by Via Rail Canada. | D．His great courage to challenge a tough mission. |
| A．They were excited about the coming train journey. |
| B．They left their parents for the first time in their life. |
| C．They never thought of having a train adventure. |
| D．They were hooked by the magic story of Harry Potter. |
| A．A brain in lack of imagination. | B．The glass-domed train car. |
| C．A summer camp on the train. | D．The sightseeing bus. |
| A．Opportunities are hard to get. | B．Enjoying a journey counts a lot. |
| C．Splendid scenery attracts young people. | D．The traveling experience is not real to him. |
9 . Yesterday I had a walk with a friend in the street. When we were passing by a house, I
Since that lady didn't know whose phone it was, my friend
They said it was
| A．bought | B．dropped | C．repaired | D．found |
| A．rang | B．sang | C．worked | D．shook |
| A．that | B．if | C．what | D．how |
| A．Probably | B．Interestingly | C．Finally | D．Unluckily |
| A．number | B．street | C．man | D．name |
| A．talk about | B．think of | C．find out | D．care about |
| A．advised | B．pushed | C．helped | D．showed |
| A．laughed | B．understood | C．argued | D．agreed |
| A．at the back of | B．in front of | C．on the top of | D．far away from |
| A．turned to | B．looked for | C．knocked on | D．broke into |
| A．answered | B．shouted | C．ran | D．passed |
| A．spelled | B．wrote | C．mentioned | D．remembered |
| A．sometimes | B．also | C．hardly | D．always |
| A．kids | B．parents | C．students | D．friends |
| A．exciting | B．necessary | C．wonderful | D．impossible |
| A．phone | B．information | C．buyer | D．owner |
| A．important | B．right | C．strange | D．brave |
| A．giving | B．borrowing | C．mending | D．keeping |
| A．them | B．him | C．someone | D．myself |
| A．lost | B．described | C．needed | D．lent |
10 . One of the qualities that most people admire in others is the willingness to admit one’s mistakes. It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like “I was wrong about that,” and it is even harder to say, “I was wrong, and you were right about that.” I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago. He told me he had been the manager of a certain store in the neighborhood where I grew up, and he asked me if I remembered the egg boxes. Then he talked of an incident and I began to remember it.
I was about eight years old at that time, and I had gone into the store with my mother to do the weekly shopping. On that special day, I must have found my way to the food department where the incident took place.
There must have been a special sale on eggs that day because there was a big show of eggs in dozen and half-dozen boxes. The boxes were put three or four feet high. I must have stopped in front of them to admire the show. Just then a woman came by pushing her shopping cart and knocked off the pile of boxes. For some reasons, I decided it was up to me to put the boxes back together, so I went to work.
The manager heard the noise and came pushing over to see what had happened. When he appeared, I was on my knees checking some of the boxes to see if any of the eggs were broken, but to him it looked as though I was the person who was to blame. He scolded me loudly and wanted me to pay for any broken eggs. My face turned red and I tried to explain, but it did no good. Even though I quickly forgot the incident, but the manager did not.
1. How old was the author when he wrote this article?| A．About 8 years old. | B．About 18 years old. |
| C．About 23 years old. | D．About 15 years old. |
| A．The author. | B．The manager. |
| C．A woman. | D．The author’s mother. |
| A．The woman who knocked off the pile of boxes was seriously scolded by the manager. |
| B．The author was loudly scolded by the manager. |
| C．A woman carelessly knocked off the pile of boxes. |
| D．It was the author who tried to put the boxes back together. |
| A．admiration for the manager’s willingness to admit mistakes |
| B．anger to the manager for his wrong doing |
| C．dissatisfaction with the woman who knocked off the pile of cartons |
| D．regret for the mistake he made in the store |
