1 . The wind roils the Midwest plains as if it is searching for someone or something to carry away. Dust and chaff funnel into blinding clouds. The clatter of storms overhead makes it impossible to hear, and herds of bison (野牛) grow restless. The Omaha tribe has wandered these plains for generations, and now, it seems that the winds have brought back one of their own. Susan La Flesche has returned to the village where she was born. Not as a visitor, but as the region’s only doctor.
When Susan was 8 years old, she waited at the bedside of an elderly woman writhing in pain. A doctor was called for. They waited. A messenger was sent. The doctor still didn’t come. Susan provided what comfort she could through the night, but by sunrise, the elderly woman had died. The episode both haunted and motivated Susan. She threw herself into her studies and earned her way to what is now Hampton University in Virginia — a historically Black college with a program for native American students. And she finished second in her class.
Susan would never forget the childhood she enjoyed, full of powwows, buffalo hunts and the people she loved. But there was further to go. She enrolled in the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania, a tedious train ride away from the world she knew. It was 1886, and the Victorian age held stiff against the progress of women. In her graduation speech from Hampton, she told the East Coast audience, “Give us a chance.” Three years later, she became a doctor.
Returning to the plains to serve her people was a difficult task. She opened an office in the government boarding school and began seeing patients. The lines were long, old and young seeking reprieve (缓解) from cholera and tuberculosis (肺结核) as well as a slew of other diseases. Susan worked long hours at her office but also braved the wind and snow, walking miles to make house calls. Her work was more than as a physician. She often acted as lawyer, accountant, priest, political liaison and counselor as she helped the Omahas navigate the new world. And Dr. Susan La Flesche was determined to spend her entire life helping her people navigate the storms.
1. What contributed to Susan’s being a doctor?| A．Her poor family. |
| B．Her desire for knowledge. |
| C．The opposition to women’s progress. |
| D．The lack of medical resources in her hometown. |
| A．She had an unhappy childhood. |
| B．She enjoyed the train ride to her college. |
| C．She got high marks in every exam. |
| D．She encountered difficulties in her college life. |
| A．To emphasize her lack of focus on her medical career |
| B．To suggest that she was overburdened with responsibilities |
| C．To highlight her dedication to serving the community wholeheartedly |
| D．To showcase her adaptability in fulfilling various roles within her community |
| A．Hard-working and helpful. | B．Sensitive and modest. |
| C．Serious and brave. | D．Greedy and self-centred. |
| A．A Force of Nature: Dr. Susan La Flesche’s Impact |
| B．Winds of Change: Dr. Susan La Flesche’s Legacy |
| C．The Resilient Doctor: Dr. Susan La Flesche’s Triumph |
| D．Whispering Winds: Dr. Susan La Flesche’s Mysterious Journey |
2 . As the lyrics to Taylor Swifs hit song “Bad Blood” go: “Cause, baby, now we got bad blood. You know it used to be mad love.” It'’s a song about falling out of friendship, but to 14-year-old Hallie Barnard, who was born with a rare blood disorder, the song holds a much deeper meaning.
At just 15 months old, Barnard was diagnosed with Diamon Blackfin Anemia, or DBA, and she spent most of her life in and out of the hospital. The Swiftie said she relied on the singer to bring her joy.
The only way to survive DBA is with a bone marrow transplant (骨髓移植)and Barnard was desperate for one. But she knew thousands of other patients are, too. So, a few years ago, she decided to do something about it, creating her own foundation: Hallie’s Heroes. “It started selfishly as just trying to save my life, but then we realized there were so many other children out there that needed a bone marrow transplant,” she said. “So, so far we've tested 8,000 people and found over 300 matches.”
After a 9-year wait, Bamard got her own match —through her own foundation. But more obstacles stood between her and normal life as a kid. The blood disorder led to a cancer diagnosis: osteosarcoma. She received surgery to cut the cancer out of her leg at MD Anderson in Houston.
The recovery was dificult, but Hallie said she stayed hopeful. “My survival instinct just kicked in. I was trying to do anything that I could to survive. So, of course, it was scary but in my mind, I was just thinking that I wanted to be at my sister's future weddings. I wanted to play games and run again,” she said.
Her survival instinct-combined with Taylor Swift helped her through her operation, where doctors cut her cancer out, and reattached her foot and ankle to her upper leg to work as a knee.
1. Why does the author mention Taylor Swift's song “Bad Blood”?| A．To stress the power of music. |
| B．To introduce the topic of the text. |
| C．To show Taylor Swift’s popularity. |
| D．To state Taylor Swift’s song is a hit. |
| A．To raise money for her heroes. |
| B．To treat her rare blood disorder. |
| C．To help other children with DBA. |
| D．To have an operation for her cancer. |
| A．begin to play a role | B．disappear |
| C．speed up | D．break down |
| A．Strong-minded and selfish | B．Hard-working and patient. |
| C．Kind and optimistic. | D．Outgoing and helpful. |
| A．‘Bad Blood’ Inspired More People |
| B．Hallie's Heroes: a Useful Foundation |
| C．Taylor Swift: a Popular Singer with Teens |
| D．A Cancer Survivor Helped Others Find Matches |
3 . Last weekend I made my first visit to a remote village, home to one of our students, Tombe. Another teacher and I walked for two and a half hours to get there—first, up a mountain from where we had fantastic views, and then down a shaded path to the valley below. When we arrived at the village, Tombe’s mother, Kiak, saw us coming and started crying “ieee ieee”. We shook hands with all the villagers. Everyone seemed to be related to Tombe.
Tombe’s father, Mukap, a man with a strong jaw and a wrinkled forehead, led us to his house, a low, round bamboo hut with no windows, with a door just big enough to get through, and with grass sticking out of the roof—this shows it is a man’s house. Such housing is dark inside so it took time for our eyes to adjust. Fresh grass had been laid on the floor and there was a platform for Jenny and me to sleep on. There was a fireplace in the centre of the hut. The only possessions I could see were one broom, a few saucers, a kettle, cups, pans, and a couple of jars.
Mukap built a fire outside and laid stones on it to heat. He then placed the hot stones in an empty oil drum with kau kau(sweet potato), ripe corn, and greens. He then covered the vegetables with banana leaves and left them to steam. It smelled delicious. We ate inside the hut sitting round the fire. I loved listening to the family talking softly to each other in their language, even though I could not participate much in the conversation. Luckily, Tombe interpreted for us.
Later, I noticed a can standing upside down on the grill (烤架) over the fire. After a while. Tombe threw it out of the doorway. Tombe told me that the can was heated to dry out the leftover food. His family believes that leftovers attract bad spirits in the night, so any leftover food is dried up in a can and the can is then thrown out of the hut.
We left the village the next morning after many goodbyes and firm handshakes. My muscles were aching and my knees shaking as we dragged ourselves down the mountain towards home. That evening I fell happily into bed. It was such a privilege to have spent a day with Tombe’s family.
1. Why did Tombe’s mother start crying “ieee ieee”?| A．Because she was excited to see her son home | B．Because she saw someone who scared he |
| C．Because she was welcoming the teachers. | D．Because that was her daily routine. |
| A．He’s not a considerate one. | B．He has a luxury house. |
| C．He had a good talk with the author. | D．He is good at cooking |
| A．amazed | B．puzzled | C．frightened | D．happy |
| A．drive bad spirits | B．protect the hut | C．hold the leftovers | D．be thrown out of the hut |
| A．She hated the long and tiring visit |
| B．She was pleased to visit the Tombe family. |
| C．She thought Tombe’s family was too poor. |
| D．She thought some of the Tombe family’s actions were stupid. |
On 8th August, 1914, 27 men who had replied to an advertisement in The Times boarded a ship leaving for the Antarctic (南极洲). The name of the ship was the Endurance and the captain was an Irishman called Ernest Shackleton.
The aim of the journey was to cross the frozen continent via the South Pole — a journey of 1, 800 miles. Shackleton thought the journey would last six months.
But when land came into sight, the Endurance became trapped in the ice and began to break up. Shackleton and his men watched the Endurance sink into the icy sea. They then headed north, pulling three lifeboats behind them.
After six days, bad weather forced them to give up and the men set up camp on a sheet of ice which began slowly moving across the Antarctic Circle.
They survived on the ice for five months. Then, on 16th April, 1915, Shackleton saw land. It was Elephant Island — a large rock with nothing growing on it, but much better than a floating piece of ice. When they reached the island, Shackleton came up with an idea — it was a risk but he would have to take it. He and five men would take one of the lifeboats, and sail 800 miles to South Georgia, where there was a permanent camp. They could then return to rescue the rest of the men.
It took Shackleton 17 days to reach South Georgia. Unfortunately he landed on the wrong side of the island, and had to walk 36 hours over mountains to reach the camp. The whale hunters at the camp couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the six men walking down from the mountains. Shackleton kept his promise. More than three months later, be returned to Elephant Island to rescue the crew he had been forced to abandon. He had failed to reach the pole — but he had saved the lives of all his men.
1. What was the goal of the adventure? (no more than 8 words)2. Why did they leave the Endurance? (no more than 6 words)
3. What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph 5? (1 word)
4. How did Shackleton save the lives of all his crew? (no more than 15 words)
5. What do you think of Shackleton? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)
5 . It seems that some people go out of their way to get into trouble. That’s more or less what happened the night when Nashville Police Officer Floyd Hyde was on duty.
“I was on the way to a personal-injury accident in West Nashville. As I got onto Highway 40, blue lights and sirens (警笛) going, I fell in behind a gold Pontiac Firebird that suddenly seemed to take off quickly down the highway. The driver somehow panicked at the sight of me. He was going more than a hundred miles an hour and began passing cars on the shoulder (路肩).”
But Hyde couldn’t go after him. Taking care of injured people is always more important than worrying about speeders, so the officer had to stay on his way to the accident. But he did try to keep the Firebird in sight as he drove, hoping another nearby unit would be able to step in and stop the speeding car. As it turned out, keeping the Firebird in sight was not that difficult. Every turn the Pontiac made was the very turn the officer needed to get to the accident scene.
Hyde followed the Pontiac all the way to his destination (目的地). At that point he found another unit had already arrived at the accident scene. His help wasn’t needed. Now he was free to try to stop the driver of the Firebird, who by this time had developed something new to panic about.
“Just about that time,” Hyde says, “I saw fire coming out from under that car, with blue smoke and oil going everywhere. He’d blown his engine. Now he had to stop.”
“After I arrested him, I asked him why he was running. He told me he didn’t have a driver’s license.”
That accident cost the driver of the Firebird plenty -- a thousand dollars for the new engine --not to mention the charges for driving without a license, attempting to run away, and dangerous driving.
1. Why did the driver of the Firebird suddenly speed down the highway?| A．Because he was racing with another driver on the road. |
| B．Because he realized he had to hurry to the accident scene. |
| C．Because he thought the police officer wanted to stop him. |
| D．Because he wanted to overtake other cars on the shoulder. |
| A．Someone else was taking care of the injured person when Hyde arrive. |
| B．The Pontiac reached its destination at the accident scene. |
| C．Hyde knew where he was going by following the right car. |
| D．The policeman was running after a speeder on Highway 40. |
| A．took a wrong turn on the way |
| B．had some trouble with his car |
| C．was stopped by the police officer |
| D．paid for the expenses of the accident |
| A．Losing His Way? | B．Going My Way? |
| C．Fun All the Way? | D．Help on the Way? |
Alice Moore is a teenager entrepreneur (创业者), who in May 2015 set up her business AilieCandy. By the time she was 13, her company was worth millions of dollars with the invention of a super-sweet treat that could save kids’ teeth, instead of destroying them.
It all began when Moore visited a bank with her dad. On the outing, she was offered a candy bar. However, her dad reminded her that sugary treats were bad for her teeth. But Moore was sick of missing out on candies. So she desired to get round the warning, “Why can’t I make a healthy candy that’s good for my teeth so that my parents can’t say no to it?” With that in mind, Moore asked her dad if she could start her own candy company. He recommended that she do some research and talk to dentists about what a healthier candy would contain.
With her dad’s permission, she spent the next two years researching online and conducting trials to get a recipe that was both tasty and tooth-friendly. She also approached dentists to learn more about teeth cleaning. Consequently, she succeeded in making a kind of candy only using natural sweeteners, which can reduce oral bacteria.
Moore then used her savings to get her business off the ground. Afterwards, she and her father secured their first business meeting with a supermarket owner, who finally agreed to sell Moore’s product — CanCandy.
As CanCandy’s success grows, so does Moore’s credibility as a young entrepreneur. Moore is enthusiastic about the candy she created, and she’s also positive about what the future might bring. She hopes that every kid can have a clean mouth and a broad smile.
Meanwhile, with her parents’ help, Moore is generally able to live a normal teenage life. Although she founded her company early on in life, she wasn’t driven primarily by profit. Moore wants to use her unique talent to help others find their smiles. She donates 10% of AilicCandy’s profits to Big Smiles. With her talent and determination, it appears that the sky could be the limit for Alice Moore.
1. How did Moore react to her dad’s warning? (No more than 10 words)2. What is special about CanCandy? (No more than 10 words)
3. What does Moore expect from her business? (No more than 10 words)
4. How do you understand the underlined part in the last paragraph? (no more than 5 words)
5. How does Moore’s story inspire you to achieve success? Put it in your own words. (No more than 20 words)
7 . One day, my two brothers and I were coming back from the islands where we often risked going and got more fish than others. All at once, the sky was covered with dark clouds and in less than a minute we were in a terrible storm. A huge wave covered our boat and my younger brother fell into the sea.
With the wind and waves, we were going in the direction of the whirlpool (漩涡). We were hopeless. Nothing could save us. I felt sick, as if I was falling from a mountain top in a dream. We went round and round, nearer and nearer to the horrible edge of the whirlpool. It may appear strange, but at that moment, when we were on the edge of the whirlpool, I felt calmer than when we were moving towards it. I began to think how amazing a thing it was to die in such a way, and how wonderful it was to see the power of nature. Suddenly, we went over the edge. I thought my life was over. But moment after moment passed, and I was still safe.
The boat was on the inside of the huge whirlpool and we were going round in circles at great speed. I saw clearly that there were other objects in the whirlpool — trees and barrels (桶), After a while, I became curious about the whirlpool itself. I then made three important observations. The first, the larger the bodies were, the more rapidly they fell; the second, between two objects of equal extent (程度), round objects fell down less rapidly; and the third, between two objects of the same size, objects shaped like a tube fell down more slowly. So I tied myself to a barrel to help me float, I tried to make my brother understand, but he was too frightened and stayed in the heavy boat. Without waiting, I jumped into the sea to try and escape.
As you can see, the reason why I’m here to tell the story is that I made the right decision. Some time after I left the boat, with my brother in it, it was pulled into the bottom of the whirlpool. Soon after that, the whirlpool became less wild. Then the sky was clear, the wind calmer, and the moon was shining. I was still tied to the barrel and the waves soon carried me to an area where the other fishermen were. In the end, a boat picked me up. When I told them my story, they did not believe it.
1. When did the storm break out?| A．While the writer and his brothers were fishing. |
| B．As the writer and his brothers sailed to the island. |
| C．When the writer and his brothers were on their way home. |
| D．As the writer’s younger brother fell into the sea. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Hopeless. | C．Excited. | D．Confident. |
| A．Because his brother asked him to do so. |
| B．Because the barrel was the only thing on board. |
| C．Because the barrel fell down much slower. |
| D．Because the barrel was heavier than the boat and fell down rapidly. |
| A．The writer’s brother was in panic. |
| B．The writer saved his brother at last. |
| C．The writer and his brother both jumped into the sea. |
| D．The writer found between two objects of the same size, a box might fall down slower than a trunk. |
| A．Human power is so small compared with nature. |
| B．Man can beat nature. |
| C．Humans are far more powerful than nature. |
| D．Human beings must respect, accommodate and protect nature. |
8 . Joe Eitl’s family always knew the day would come when he might need a heart transplant (移植). Joe, 37, was born with Down syndrome and cardiac defects (唐氏综合征和心脏缺陷); he has a hole in his heart and only one ventricle (心室) instead of the normal two. When he was a baby, he had the first of many surgeries to improve his condition. Since then he has had other procedures and has been treated with medications. But these have been stopgap measures (权宜之计), not cures, said his mother Peg Eitl.
“They’ve all been palliative (保守疗法), short-term, buy-him-some-time sort of things. He’s outlived his life expectancy,” she said.
And he’s created a joyful life in the process. In fact, he’s become a bit of a celebrity in his community where he lives with his parents, Peg and Craig Eitl.
Joe has always had lots of friends, is a Special Olympics multisport athlete and has fronted a local rock band. And a local bakery even named a sandwich in his honor: The Joey.
But a year ago, Joe went into heart failure. He was weak. His heart problem caused stress to his organs, including damage to his liver (肝脏). His parents started the long complicated process of having him evaluated for a possible heart and liver transplant.
So Peg started posting on Facebook about his medical journey. Friends and family members posted Facebook requests for people to send Joe cards and notes of support because he loves receiving mail. Others then shared the post, which led to even more shares.
And the mail started coming. And coming. And coming. One card came with a hand-drawn picture from a little girl named Becca and a note that read. “You don’t know us, but we wanted you to know our family is praying (祈祷) for you.”
The Eitls couldn’t count all the mail Joe has received, even if they tried. “We have thousands of cards,” said Peg. “Whether he gets a transplant or not, we really don’t know, but what we do know is during some of the really difficult times, the cards, the letters and the gifts from strangers have really made a difference between a day he didn’t want to get out of bed and a day he bounced out of bed. It’s been awesome.”
1. Why does Joe need a heart transplant?| A．Because he has a Down syndrome. | B．Because he had many operations before. |
| C．Because he has a heart condition. | D．Because he has been on medication for a long time. |
| A．Everyone hopes he would live a longer life. | B．He is nearing the end of his life. |
| C．His life will be shorter than expected. | D．He has lived longer than anyone expected. |
| A．Because they like the name so much. | B．To show respect to Joe. |
| C．To celebrate Joe’s victory in the Special Olympics. | D．Because Joe is famous in the community. |
| A．Peg posted to raise money for Joe’s transplant. |
| B．A lot of people are sharing Joe’s cards. |
| C．Joe needs not only a heart transplant but also a liver transplant. |
| D．Joe couldn’t get up until he received those cards. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Concerned. | C．Grateful. | D．Doubtful. |
9 . It was the day of the big cross-country run. Students from seven different elementary schools in and around the small town of 100-Mile House, British Columbia, were warming up and walking the route through thick evergreen forest.
I looked around and finally saw David standing by himself off to the side by a fence. He was small for ten years old, with messy red hair. But his usual big toothy grin was absent today. I walked over and asked him why he wasn’t with the other children. The only response he gave me was he had decided not to run. What was wrong? He had worked so hard for this event! David’s cerebral palsy (脑瘫) prevented him from walking or running like other children, but at school his peers thought of him as a regular kid. He always participated to the best of his ability in whatever they were doing. It just took him longer. He had stubbornly run a total of twenty three kilometres in practice runs to prepare for that day’s two-and-a-half-kilometre run, and he had asked me to come and watch. We sat down together on some steps, but David wouldn’t look at me. I quietly said, “David, if you don’t want to run today, no one is going to make you. But if you’re not running because you’re afraid someone is going to laugh, that’s not a good enough reason. There will always be someone who will laugh and say mean things. Are you going to let them get in your way? If you really want to run, David, then you run!” I held my breath as David took this in. Then he looked at the field and said, “I’m gonna run.”
The starter’s gun sounded. But he had only gone a few metres before he tripped and fell flat on the ground. My heart sank. As I started to shout encouragement, David picked himself up and started again. All the other runners had disappeared over the hill. But it didn’t matter. He had worked for it, and he wouldn’t give up!
I waited anxiously by the finish line as the most runners completed and another race had begun. Still no David! I started to feel sick. Had I done the wrong thing? Could he have become lost? Finally, a small figure emerged from the forest. David raised his arms in triumph as he crossed the finish line to wild cheers and applause. He caught my eye, flashed me a toothy grin and said, “That was easy!”
1. What made David unable to run like other children?| A．His mental problem. |
| B．His physical condition. |
| C．His laziness. |
| D．His hesitation. |
| A．he was encouraged to |
| B．he wanted to be the first |
| C．he was laughed into doing it |
| D．he knew it was a shorter distance |
| A．Brave and talkative. |
| B．Out-going and kind-hearted. |
| C．Lively and hard-working. |
| D．Optimistic and strong-willed. |
| A．competence in finishing a run |
| B．positive attitude towards life |
| C．ability to win cheers and applause |
| D．efforts to catch others’ attention |
| A．Never judge a book by its cover. |
| B．Well begun is half done. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| D．Many hands make light work. |
10 . Life is just like a box of chocolates and you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes when we are in our darkest hour, something completely unexpected happens that can give us a little bit of hope and comfort.
Jessica was a healthy woman. One day, while she was working on a brilliant idea that suddenly struck her, which she thought would be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem she was working on, she suddenly lost consciousness. After she was rushed to the hospital, her heart rate slowed by nearly 50 percent. It took nine days for doctors to concentrate on what was causing her problem.
After several weeks, Jessica was still stiff (僵硬的) from head to foot, but luckily, she was able to move her lips. Staff noticed this and introduced Jessica to Consuelo Gonzalez, a professional lip reader. Consuelo can understand what people are saying by the shape their lips make. She can also understand how annoying it is not to be able to communicate because she has been completely deaf since the age of 8.
For a few hours each week, Jessica could have long conversations with Consuelo, diving into the ocean of words she dearly missed. Through Consuelo, Jessica asked the doctors and nurses questions she had long wanted answers to. She also talked to Consuelo about the vivid dreams she was mixing up with reality.
In fact, there are other ways for Consuelo to earn a living by reading lips, but she says helping patients separate horrible dreams from reality is the most rewarding way she can use her unique skill. “What is really wonderful, without doubt, is being able to use this skill to create healing and to create communication between human beings. That’s what feels best: Love.”
After four and a half months in the hospital, Jessica finally recovered. Consuelo was there, holding Jessica’s hands. Jessica eventually went back to work as a math professor. After her experience she wrote a new living will. One thing she added is that if she ever becomes incapacitated like this again, she is never to be left alone.
1. Why does the author mention a box of chocolates in the first paragraph?| A．To present an argument. | B．To make a comparison. |
| C．To introduce a topic. | D．To give an example. |
a. Jessica was introduced to Consuelo Gonzalez.
b. Jessica went back to work and wrote a new living will.
c. Doctors spent nine days to find out what caused Jessica’s problem.
d. Jessica was able to ask the doctors questions she had long wanted answers to.
e. Jessica worked on a brilliant idea for solving the mathematical problem.
| A．ecadb | B．adcbe | C．ecdba | D．adbce |
| A．Jessica became deaf as a result of the sudden disease after losing consciousness. |
| B．Consuelo must have a gift in psychology as she could separate dreams from reality. |
| C．Consuelo accompanied Jessica all the time in the hospital until the latter recovered. |
| D．Doctors focused on the cause of Jessica’s disease before Consuelo offered help. |
| A．Friendly and cautious. | B．Brave and creative. |
| C．Kind and caring. | D．Determined and humorous. |
| A．Deadly exhausted. | B．Seriously ill. | C．Desperately lonely. | D．Incredibly compulsory. |
| A．Love can make people no longer alone facing difficulties. |
| B．Creating communication between human beings is rewarding. |
| C．Self-acceptance is based on the love for oneself. |
| D．Love is key to the attainment of others’ respect. |
