1 . When I was young, my mother was very much concerned for my happiness and was always there to support me. We had healthy boundaries (界限). When my own turn came for being a mother, I was determined to do so.
But as my daughter and I sat down to choose courses for the seventh grade, I felt the boundaries begin to fall. Students were allowed three electives (选修课) each term. Several of these were year-long courses—band, orchestra, yearbook and Spanish, and the rest were random (随机的) — technology education, drama, leadership and PE. I hated PE in my own school days.
We read the elective options carefully and sweet relief flooded through me. “You can sign up for band, yearbook and Spanish, and you won’t have to take PE ever,” I told her. I settled back into my chair, a weight taken off my chest. My daughter, however, frowned. “But I’m not sure I want to take Spanish. And I want to do the leadership class... and try drama!”
I broke in on her words with more practical wisdom. “You can’t pick the electives you want, though. They’re organized randomly. So you might get drama and leadership..., or you might get gym class or technology education. You might get the classes you want, and you might not. Is it worth risking having to take PE?” Finally, she chose to take the chance and signed up for band, yearbook and one period of the unknown elective. I reminded myself she was not me.
Watching your child walk into the trap of middle school is worse than experiencing it yourself. Motherhood, after all, is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. I am not going into the seventh grade again. It is my daughter’s turn. She is her own person, and while she is delicate and easily hurt, she is also stronger and more confident than I was.
1. What is the function of paragraph 1?| A．To present a fact. | B．To provide an example. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To make a comparison. |
| A．Drama was her daughter’s favorite. | B．Her daughter followed her advice. |
| C．There were many year-long courses. | D．PE was optional for her daughter. |
| A．It seemed organized. | B．It was uncertain. |
| C．It was made at random. | D．It sounded reasonable. |
| A．Motherhood is rewarding. | B．Mothers should learn to let go. |
| C．Children should ask for help if necessary. | D．Children are too young to make a decision. |
2 . Sau Hoyin, a 16-year-old student at Hong Kong International School, has devoted the past seven years to writing fiction. He has already published two novels, and a third is on the way. Sau’s journey as a writer began in the 4th grade when he started a school “passion project”, leading him to create his first novel Pym. This story follows Luke Connors, an ordinary boy who grew into a brave fighter against evil.
Sau’s fiction evolved with his own personal growth. At the age of 13, he created Pyro 2. a story when Connors faces challenges that mirror Sau’s struggles with math. “I tried to overcome these challenges on my own at first hut finally found that I need to seek the aid of others,” he said. In the novel, Connors learns that in moments of great challenges. seeking help from those around him is a test ament (证明) to growth. Currently, Sau is working on Pyro 3, a project enriched by his global travels and diverse cultural experiences. “I treat writing as a way to record my life and express myself. It also helps me to think deeply about various issues,” he said.
Sau spends two to three hours on weekends on his writing and around two hours daily during breaks. To practice his skills, Sau also joined a literary club at school, exchanging insights into his fiction with his peers.
“In arts and literature class, our teacher also nurtures (培养) our creativity by teaching creative poetry.” Sau added. For instance, inspired by the English language poem Show With Buddha he learned in class, he wrote Playing Saxophone With the Statue of Liberty in d imagined the statue dropped her torch or a moment, playing jour while thinking about whether the truths of American liberty are really held or not.
Sau also shares his essays and poetry on his personal website and takes part in writing competitions. This summer, he won the Harbinger Prize awarded by Harbingers’Magazine, a weekly journal in the US.
Next year, Sau will start university and is resolute in his decision to major in literature. “For me, literature is a utopia (乌托邦) where I can not only express myself but also enjoy the beauty of language, its purity and its lasting power.” he said.
1. What drove Sau Hoyin to take up writing?| A．A special school program. | B．An unforgettable journey. |
| C．His teacher’s encouragement. | D．His childhood’s experience. |
| A．Sau is unwilling to learn Math at school. | B．Sau’s works are related to his own experience. |
| C．Sau is a very productive writer from an early age. | D．Sau is faced with many difficulties in writing novels. |
| A．Clever and humorous. | B．Talented and cautious. |
| C．Hardworking and creative. | D．Curious and emotional. |
| A．Sau Hoyin: Words of Growth & Adventure |
| B．Luke Connors: A Brave Fighter against Evil |
| C．A Teen Writer’s Dream: Sau Hoyin’s Quest for Fame |
| D．A Popular Blogger’s Rise: Luke Connor’s Journey to Success |
3 . A heart attack led Ivan Markov to take up gardening on a small patch (小块土地) in front of his council flat. Now, he’s spreading his love of nature across south London.
Markov grew up on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea, and learned to love nature in these tropical zones. In 2007, he moved to Lewisham, south-east London, to work as a teacher. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with heart failure in 2010. During the treatment and recovery, he read about a local award for best garden, and though he only had a front garden outside his flat, he thought the competition would be something to work towards. He worked on his patch for most of the year, planting seeds and plants, such as flowers, berries and herbs. Surprisingly, he won the best front garden prize. “I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “I nearly fell off my seat.”
That was the start. Markov created a community nursery (苗圃) at the side of his house, and started planting bushes across the road. “I had so much beauty in my garden,” he says. “I wanted to share what I had.” He started offering guide to others. News of Markov’s green-fingered selflessness began to spread. “I go to someone’s property and give them advice on how to plant a garden,” he says. He delivers cuttings and seeds and helps people report plants, but everything he does is free. To date, Markov has helped six neighbourhoods embrace sustainable gardening.
He wants to show people you don’t have to live in the country to create beauty. “It doesn’t matter how much space you have. Outside my place there’s a tiny square, tiny. I grow tomatoes there for my supper. The opportunities are endless.”
Gardening gives Markov “the feeling of creating something from nothing and so much pleasure”. His dream is to create more green areas. Markov is making this corner of south-east London a paradise for all.
1. What can be inferred about Markov in paragraph 2?| A．He worked as a gardener. | B．He failed in the competition. |
| C．He won an education prize. | D．He turned out a green finger. |
| A．Smart and courageous. | B．Confident and diligent. |
| C．Generous and warm-hearted. | D．Humorous and energetic. |
| A．Selflessness values a lot. | B．Skilled techniques are needed. |
| C．Much space is important. | D．Desire to take actions matters. |
| A．The origin of a community nursery. | B．A creator of a green paradise for all. |
| C．A positive spirit against difficulty. | D．The harmony of human and nature. |
4 . When I was so small that my head barely touched the windowsill, we lived in the ever-green forests of Vermont. Our home was far, far away from any town or city, but that was the way we liked it.
Some winters, it got so cold that the river would freeze, which was unusual for water like that, water which ran so fast and deep. It felt as though time had stopped near the river, and so it had decided to become solid, settling in to wait for spring. We liked to skate on that river, my grandfather and I, even though the ice was uneven and his brown leather skates was so old.
One night, in the most frigid winter my young mind could recall, long after I should have been asleep, I caught my grandfather sneaking out of the front door, his ancient leather skates in his hands. He looked sheepish when he saw me, like I had caught him doing something silly, but I was so young that I thought no adult could ever do wrong. Especially not my grandfather, because he was the model of wisdom in my eyes.
“Grandpa, where are you going?” I asked.
“Skating on the river.”
“Why would you go out now? We did that yesterday morning.”
He looked a little thoughtful, and then he said: “It’s just that when you go out there, on the coldest, stillest night of the year, and you lie on your back on the thick, bubbled river ice, you can hear them.”
“Hear who?”
“The fish. Trapped there under the ice. You can hear them singing their water y winter song. And if you hold your breath, you can almost hear the stars singing in harmony.”
1. What does the underlined word “sheepish” probably mean in Paragraph 3?| A．Calm. | B．Quiet. | C．Frightened. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．To breathe some fresh air in the forest. |
| B．To enjoy the charm of a peaceful night. |
| C．To catch the fish trapped under the ice. |
| D．To perfect his skating skills by practice. |
| A．I admired my grandfather for his wisdom. |
| B．My grandfather likes to singing with stars |
| C．Skating on the uneven ice is our favourite sport. |
| D．A fast-flowing river has never frozen in midwinter. |
| A．To describe the joy of fisting in the wild. |
| B．To highlight how embracing nature can purify us. |
| C．To explain why skating is such an appealing sport. |
| D．To record the good relationship with his grandfather. |
5 . “A good book is easy to find.” That is the message on a sign at Hernando Guanlao’s home in the Makati area of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines.”
Guanlao has transformed his home into a free public library. Visitors can borrow the books inside for free. Guanlao says he hopes his library will inspire people to read, especially the young.
The 72-year-old told reporters that his library includes books that all students can enjoy —— from young children in Kindergarten to older students in grade 12. And also his library has books for readers of all interests. His home is filled with thousands of available books.
He calls his library Reading Club 2000. It contains many different kinds of books, or genres. Genre is a group of artistic, musical, or literary works that share a particular style, form, or content. “There are history books, novels, children stories in my library,” Guanlao added proudly, “and there are cookbooks, science fiction, and even medicine books.” Almost everyone can find a suitable book, all for free.
He started his library more than 20 years ago when he set 50 books on the walkway in front of his home. Guanlao’s collection has grown greatly over the years —— thanks to a continuous supply of books from donors.
Speaking of donors, he said, “They just leave boxes of books outside my house.” He has also started donating books himself. He sends reading materials to public schools in far-away communities.
Guanlao’s efforts come at a time when reading ability among students in the Philippines remains low. The Program for International Student Assessment reports that reading scores in the Philippines are among the lowest in the world. Students in the Philippines are also facing learning delays in math and science.
Guanlao is firm about his goals, “My mission is to give away used and donated books to others at no cost,” he said, “and to promote education through literature.”
1. What’s the purpose of Guanlao’s setting up his home library?| A．To establish his fame in the country |
| B．To encourage people to read and increase education level |
| C．To set up a record for collecting the most books |
| D．To help people find jobs more easily |
| A．Devoted and caring | B．Outgoing and brave |
| C．Humorous and considerate | D．Ambitious and impatient |
| A．His own effort to collect books continuous | B．The government’s help and support |
| C．Warm-hearted people’s continuous donations | D．Help from public schools in far-away communities |
| A．science report | B．sports | C．fashion | D．education |
6 . In 2019, a white-haired senior was awarded the Friendship Medal, the highest order of honor of China for foreigners. It was Isabel Crook. In her more than a century of life, she spent more than 90 years in China and cultivated (培养) a large number of foreign language talents for China.
In 1915, Isabel was born in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1938, Isabel couldn’t wait to return to China. With hard work, she and her colleague completed the survey of over 1,500 families in some villages in Bishan County. She recorded the daily life of the villagers in Xinglongchang with detailed field notes, which give the young people today some idea of the state of affairs in villages at that time.
In 1947, Isabel and her husband David Crook came to China to observe and study the ongoing land reform. A year later, they completed the study and accepted the invitation to stay in China for language teaching.
One could hardly imagine the teaching conditions in the midst of a war. They asked their students to take small stools (凳子) with them so that they could give class everywhere. They tailored (定制) teaching approaches to suit students’ different language proficiency levels. Without handy teaching materials, they collected articles from English newspapers and magazines. In oral English teaching, Isabel asked students to watch their teachers in a given conversation first. Since there were no tape recorders at school, she had to perform the conversation again and again.
Isabel retired in 1981, but she returned to Southwest China many times to set up scholarship for children from poor families. She also went to Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and other places to help with foreign language teaching. Isabel died in 2023 in Beijing.
1. What do we know about Isabel according to the text?| A．She got China’s highest honor for foreigners. |
| B．She received her college education in China. |
| C．She returned to China as a teacher at age 23. |
| D．She helped children in need all over China. |
| A．In 1915. | B．In 1938. | C．In 1948. | D．In 1981. |
| A．Boring but helpful. | B．Simple and modern. |
| C．Traditional but attractive. | D．Flexible and personalized. |
| A．Her working experiences were rich. |
| B．Her life in China was quite colorful. |
| C．She devoted herself to teaching in China. |
| D．She showed great interest in Chinese history. |
7 . After spending his career as a chef and working as the Vice President of Food and Beverage at FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan, Michael McFarlen saw how much food would get thrown away from the Casino’s restaurant every day.
Unfortunately, throwing away perfectly good food is extremely common within the restaurant industry. Yet it was always something that bothered McFarlen about his work. Actions point, McFarlen decided to get involved with the South Central Food Bank of Michigan Inc. to help give back to those in need. He then became the president on the board and came up with a plan to open a restaurant in the community that would also help support a food bank on the property.
In April of 2016, the FireKeepers Casino Hotel and its owners, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, bought Fire Station No. 4, a historic firehouse near down town Battle Creek that had been closed for years and was set to be demolished. However, the group bought it before that happened and started to give the historic building a new life.
Renovations on the property lasted about a year. Then on April 19, 2017, the restaurant, which they named The Fire Hub, opened to the public for the first time. At the same time, the food bank, which they named the Kendall Street Food bank, opened its door in the back of the building.
“Anytime you open a new restaurant, you just have to figure a way through that first year,” George said. However, the first year of operation was beyond their expectations. Not only did the restaurant attract customers because of its popularity and sustainability, but the food bank helped more people in the first year than they ever imagined would need its services.
In total, about 375 to 400 households get help from the food bank every single month. “We’re able to cater to people who are working, but still need a little help during the month,” McFarlen told Second Wave media. To better fit the need of the majority of people using their services, the food bank was designed to look like a small market.
1. What bothered McFarlen as a chef?| A．A lack of cooks. |
| B．Waste of good food. |
| C．Involvement in food banks. |
| D．Shortage of food in some areas. |
| A．Built up. | B．Torn down. | C．Broken up. | D．Knocked off. |
| A．It worked out well. |
| B．It had branches set up. |
| C．It stuck to good quality. |
| D．It didn’t last for a year. |
| A．Patient and careful. |
| B．Loving and devoted. |
| C．Enthusiastic and diligent. |
| D．Cautious and understanding. |
8 . Cheng Yuyan never expected that the interest group “We Love Strolling in the Park”, which she created by accident on Douban, a Chinese social media platform, four years ago, would now reach 100,000 members.
According to the 25-year-old from Shanghai, creating this group was just an accidental decision, and she didn’t spend much time in it afterwards. However, park lovers from all over China and even overseas have voluntarily made it their gathering place. People share park experiences, post photos taken in parks, and offer recommendations and reviews about parks.
“The growth of this group is the result of organic (绿色的) development, just like a park, where people naturally come together. The rise in member numbers also shows the increasingly important role that parks are playing in people’s lives,” Cheng said.
Within this group, there is a saying called “20 minutes for parks”, which comes from a theory (理论) in the International Journal of Environmental Health Research. According to the theory, spending 20 minutes in a park daily helps to reduce stress, no matter whether people exercise in it or simply take a walk.
With the help of social media, the theory has been receiving popularity among a great number of young people in China. Huang Bingbing from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, is a follower of this idea.
She said that Shenzhen has many parks between office buildings. Over three years ago, when she was still working at an advertising company, she used to visit the small park downstairs during her weekday lunch breaks. “On the grass, I could connect with living plants and animals, allowing me to refresh my mind and recover from the stress of the workplace,” Huang said.
1. What did Cheng Yuyan think of her interest group?| A．It surely attracted people. | B．It was a serious decision. |
| C．It took her much effort. | D．It got an unexpected result. |
| A．People’s love for parks. | B．The rise of the group number . |
| C．People’s changes of lifestyles. | D．The benefit of green development. |
| A．The pull of the online media. | B．Their need for more experience. |
| C．The heavy load of their work. | D．Their easy acceptance of new ideas. |
| A．Hard work pays off. | B．Great minds think alike. |
| C．A small thing makes a difference. | D．Success comes from joint efforts. |
9 . On that hot August day in 2023, as ash rained down and flames closed in, Jim Rhodes didn’t want to be anywhere but Coulterville. “My kid called from Alabama. We first heard about the fire from him,” Rhodes recalls. “He said, ‘Evacuate(撤离)!’I said, ‘Evacuate? To where?’”
Coulterville is a tiny town located among dry hills where local people raise cattle and other livestock. It has a main street, a park and a museum. It’s got a cafe, a grocery shop and a post. And with summer temperatures routinely topping 100 degrees, it has fires—sometimes big fires..
Eventually, this big fire got a name: the Moc Fire, for the tiny town of Moccasin-where it began as a brush fire.
It burnt for 10 days, consuming almost 3,000 acres. Rhodes woke to find his truck covered in ashand the news was broadcasting evacuation orders. Ranchers(牧场主) across the region were fighting to protect their animals, loading them into the truck or just setting them loose to find safety. Volunteers were readying fairgrounds nearby to shelter animals. Already they were filling up with dogs, cats, chickens, horses, cattle, goats, sheep and rabbits.
As residents and animals were brought out, firefighters poured in. “With them came the biggest bulldozer(挖 土机)I’ve ever seen,” says Rhodes. “And they were sent to cut the firebreak that could save the town. We knew that if it made the cut, we’d all have to get out of here.”
The situation was clear. The danger was growing. But slowly Rhodes realized that he hadn’t come to Coulterville just to leave when the town needed him. He stayed, joining the handful of residents who gathered around the main street where fire officials posted updates. He knew he could help somebody, somehow.
Around midmorning, a farmer he’d never met came by asking for help with animal evacuation. Rhodes’s phone was still ringing, but he knew what to do. “I hung up my phone, got in the truck and headed down to his farm,” he says.
1. Why did Rhodes’ kid call?| A．To help him put out the fire. | B．To inform him of the big fire. |
| C．To ask him to set animals free. | D．To persuade him to stay home. |
| A．Most residents there raise livestock. |
| B．It is a small town far trom Moccasin. |
| C．This place seldom has fires in summer. |
| D．Its inhabitants have plenty of bulldozers. |
| A．Move out to reunite with his kid. |
| B．Gather his animals to a safe shelter. |
| C．Help the stranger to save his animals. |
| D．Join the residents to cut the firebreak. |
| A．Saving Wild Animals in Coulterville |
| B．A Trusted Neighbor in the Moc Fire |
| C．A Tiny Town Suffering a Big Disaster |
| D．Escaping from the Front Line of the Fire. |
10 . When Joe’s children grew up and moved to different cities, he lived in a small village. He had 4 grandchildren and they often visited him during their holidays.
It was the vacation time and Joe was waiting for them to arrive. He was preparing their favorite food and cleaning the house. However, he lost his watch when he was busy. His dead wife gave it to him when their first child was born. Joe treasured the watch very much, especially after his wife’s death.
The next day, he was very sad, “Dear children, I lost the most important watch I have ever had. Your grandma gave it to me. I feel like my heart is broken.”
The children looked for it everywhere in the house for more than 2 hours, but they didn’t find it. So Joe asked the children to stop looking for it.
One of his grandsons sat there quietly. The other children reached him and asked him what was going on. He asked them not to make any noise. He sat there for about 15 minutes and then found the watch. He ran to his grandfather with the watch. Joe was surprised and asked how he was able to find it. The little boy replied, “I sat there without making a noise. After a few minutes, I heard the sound of the watch.” Joe hugged and thanked the little boy.
1. Joe’s grandchildren often came to see him ________.| A．after work | B．on vacation | C．before New Year | D．on his birthday |
| A．Joe’s children | B．The children’s grandma |
| C．The children’s father | D．Joe’s mother |
| A．over two hours | B．15 minutes |
| C．less than two hours | D．two days |
| A．By looking for it everywhere. | B．By making quite a lot of loud noise. |
| C．By asking the others for help. | D．By listening to the sound of the watch. |
| A．The Friendly Children | B．The Quiet Boy |
| C．The Importance of Silence | D．The Great Family |
