1 . When my daughter Sara was in the fifth grade, she came to me with a problem. “Marcy hates me!” she cried “Because Kathy is my friend, too. She wants me to be her friend and nobody else’s. You talk to Marcy. You tell her that I want to be her friend, but I can have other friends, too!”
Oh! I looked at her for a few moments, wondering how I got into this mess (困境), when suddenly an idea came to me.
Picking up two baskets from the living room, I explained, “When everyone is born, he or she has a little basket. This little one here is yours. The big one is mine. As you grow，so does the basket. You can see your little basket is inside mine because when you were born, there were too many things you couldn’t do for yourself. I did everything you couldn’t do on your own.”
She nodded.
“Well, as you grew older and began to do some things on your own, I began placing a few more things in your basket. When you learned to tie your shoes, that went in your basket.”
She said softly, “I can tie my own shoes.”
“Right. As you grow older, there will be more and more things you must do on your own.” As I spoke, I gradually took her basket out of mine and handed it to her. “You will finally carry your own basket with things only you can do.”
She looked up at me and said, “I understand. There are some things that I have to do by myself because they are in my basket.”
1. What did the author feel when she heard her daughter’s problem?| A．Angry. | B．Crazy. |
| C．Proud | D．Helpless. |
| A．would talk to Marcy herself |
| B．wouldn’t make friends with Kathy |
| C．was too young to deal with anything |
| D．managed to persuade her mother to help her |
| A．gifts given by God when everyone is born |
| B．something that people use to keep vegetables |
| C．growing abilities as you grow up |
| D．friendship that needs repairing |
| A．She didn’t have a basket. |
| B．She didn’t want her own basket. |
| C．She couldn’t deal with her friendship. |
| D．Her mother was too hard on her. |
2 . A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her, and she did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her father, a cook, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them on a plate. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a glass. Turning to her, he asked, “Darling, what do you see?” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee. She smiled, as she tasted it.
“What does it mean, father?” she asked. He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong end hard. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they changed the water.
“Which are you?” he asked his daughter. When adversity knocks on your door in your life, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
1. What can be known from the first paragraph?| A．She found her life full of difficulties and she could do nothing about them. |
| B．They were very poor and the daughter complained about it. |
| C．She was fighting and struggling with her classmates so she was not satisfied. |
| D．The daughter complained about her food. |
| A．The carrot was hard as it had been. | B．The egg became soft and fragile. |
| C．There was a different change in every pot. | D．Similar changes happened in the three |
| A．Temperature | B．difficulty | C．Requirement | D．attitude |
| A．that it is natural for people to complain about their difficulties in life |
| B．that a father taught her daughter how to cook at home |
| C．how carrots, eggs and coffee beans change when they are cooked |
| D．what we should do when facing difficulties |
3 . Imagine a fire burning in your mouth and stomach. Now, imagine a bottle of yogurt.This yogurt is your only means (方法) of escape. The pain is extreme great，but still, you manage to hang on. Now, imagine 12other contestants (参赛者) to your left and right, each suffering from the same great heat. Finally, imagine a huge crowd of people watching the impressive view.
This is what it was like for me when I first took part in the Chili Pepper Eating Contest of 2019. Hosted by The Beijinget as part of the weekend Hot Spicy Festival in Beijing, the contest was an open invitational, drawing in those brave enough to test their passion and willpower for eating spicy chilis.
Before coming to China in 2017,I had no idea chili eating contests like this even existed.I knew about food eating competitions, sure; but I had no idea that you could become a superstar just by eating chilis. It was also my first time getting on stage in front of such a large crowd, so there were butterflies in my stomach even before I introduced chilis into the mix.
Since I was young,I grew up eating policy curries (咖喱) with my dad — perhaps quite unusual by American Midwestern standards. Sometimes, we ordered the curry so spicy it would make our faces red as tears streamed down. But, in truth, I loved the unique feelings eating spicy food gave me. These feelings were what led me to find myself on the stage that day.
Nobody believed that I would be able to pull through. But, to everyone’s amazement (and even my own), I won! And then I won again the following year in 2020! While the grand prize was welcomed, the satisfaction of knowing I was a champion of something I loved doing and was good at was reward enough.
1. What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．People’s feelings when eating chilis. |
| B．People’s problems when eating chilis. |
| C．The popularity of the chili eating contest. |
| D．The author’s experience at a chili eating contest. |
| A．It attracted foolish people. |
| B．It was open to strong men. |
| C．It could make people well-known. |
| D．It weakened peple’s will power. |
| A．It was a reminder of his happy time. |
| B．It brought him a different experience. |
| C．It was a tradition in his hometown. |
| D．It was convenient to buy spicy food. |
| A．Surprised and proud. |
| B．Relaxed and satisfied. |
| C．Shocked and regretful. |
| D．Disappointed and annoyed. |
4 . There was a boy named Drake. He was just 12 years old. His parents had no money to educate him. They had no choice other than to tell their children to leave school and start helping them with their shop’s work.
Drakeassimilatedthis and started waking up before sunrise and going to their shop and cleaning it. He was really a hardworking guy. He always wanted something big to happen in his life, but he knew that a change does not happen in a day. So he started caching himself and completed all senior high school courses at the age of 18. When he turned 20, he got a job offer from an electrical company.
He started working in that company, and every day after coming from his job, he would learn more and more about bulbs (灯泡) because he saw a lot of bulb production there. After some years he made a new improved bulb of his own. He was really excited to show it to his boss, but when the boss saw it, he wasn’t interested in it and said it was of little use. But still, he believed in himself and didn’t give up.
After a few months, he thought of setting up his own factory where he and his wife would put the improved bulb into production. When they made the bulbs, they started selling them. No one was interested in those bulbs, but still, he kept believing in himself.
One day when the sun was rising, he got an order of l,000 pieces of the bulbs. This totally changed his life. After that, he started getting more and more orders.
1. Why did Drake’s parents ask him to work in their shop when he was 12?| A．They wanted him to catch himself. |
| B．They expected him to be successful. |
| C．They wished him to be hardworking. |
| D．They were unable to pay for his schooling. |
| A．Remembered. | B．Understood. | C．Expressed. | D．Hated. |
| A．Surprising. | B．Attractive. | C．Popular. | D．Valueless. |
| A．All things are difficult before they are easy. |
| B．Confidence is the first secret of success. |
| C．Learn to say before you sing. |
| D．Practice makes perfect. |
5 . As a youngster, there was nothing I liked better than Sunday afternoons at my grandfather’s farm in western Pennsylvania. Surrounded by miles of winding stone walls, the house and field provided endless hours of fun for a city kid like me. I was used to tidy living rooms that seemed to whisper, “Not to be touched!”
I can still remember one afternoon when I was eight years old. Since my first visit to the farm, I had wanted more than anything to be allowed to climb the stone walls surrounding the houses. My parents would never approve. The walls were old; some stones were missing, others loose and falling. Still, my idea to climb across those walls grew so strong that finally, one spring afternoon, I had all my courage to enter the living room, where the adults had gathered after Sunday dinner.
“I, uh—I want to climb the stone walls,” I said. Everyone looked up. “Can I climb the stone walls?” Immediately voices of disagreement went up from the women in the room. “Heavens, no! You’ll hurt yourself!” I wasn’t too disappointed; the response was just as I’d expected. But before I could leave the room, I was stopped by my grandfather’s loud voice. “Now hold on just a minute,” I heard him say. “Let the boy climb the stone walls. He has to learn to do things for himself.”
“Go,” he said to me, “and come and see me when you get back.” For the next two and a half hours I climbed those old walls—and had the time of my life. Later I met with my grandfather to tell him about my adventures. I’ll never forget what he said. “Fred,” he said, smiling, “You made this day a special day just by being yourself. Always remember, there’s only one person in this whole world like you, and I like you exactly as you are.”
Many years have passed since then, and today I host the television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, seen by millions of children throughout America. There have been changes over the years, but one thing remains the same: my message to children at the end of almost every visit. “There’s only one person in this whole world like you.” the kids can count on hearing me say, “and people can like you exactly as you are.”
1. When the writer was small, he lived ________.| A．in the city | B．on the farm |
| C．with his grandparents | D．away from his parents |
| A．there were old stone walls | B．it was an exciting place for him |
| C．he liked his grandfather | D．the living room there was clean |
| A．adventurous | B．funny | C．smart | D．talkative |
| A．To do things for others. | B．To do whatever he liked. |
| C．To be proud of himself. | D．To be himself. |
6 . I was never very neat while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but my always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Overtime, Kate got neater and I got my merriser. She moved to push my dirty clothing over and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.
Who broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! why under my bed!” Suddenly I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up. She quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, crying. Obviously. that was something she could not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy (同情) rose up in my heart.
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bad. Cleaned the suckers and swept the floor even on her side. I got so absorbed into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching. Her tears dried and her expression was such disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me. “Thanks.”
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.
1. What made Kate so angry one evening?| A．She couldn’t find her books. |
| B．She heard the writer shouting loud. |
| C．She got the news that her grandma was ill. |
| D．She saw the writer’s shoes beneath her bed. |
| A．Because she was scared by Kate’s anger. |
| B．Because she hated herself for being so messy. |
| C．Because she wanted to show her care. |
| D．Because she was asked by Kate to do so. |
| A．By analyzing courses. |
| B．By showing differences. |
| C．By describing a process. |
| D．By following time order. |
| A．My Friend Kate. |
| B．Hard Work Pays off. |
| C．How to Be Organized? |
| D．Learning to Be Roommates. |
7 . My son Joey was born with club feet. The doctors assured us that with treatment he would be able to walk normally — but would never run very well. The first three years of his life, he had several operations on the feet. By the time he was eight, you wouldn’t know he had a problem when you saw him walk .
The children in our neighborhood ran around as most children do during play, and Joey would jump right in and run and play, too. We never told him that he probably wouldn’t be able to run as well as the other children. So he didn’t know.
In seventh grade he decided to go out for the cross-country team. Every day he trained with the team. He worked harder and ran more than any of the others — perhaps he sensed that the abilities that seemed to come naturally to so many others did not come naturally to him. Although the entire team runs, only the top seven runners have the potential to score points for the school. We didn’t tell him he probably would never make the team, so he didn’t know.
He continued to run four to five miles a day, every day — even the day he had a 103-degree fever. I was worried, so I went to look for him after school. I found him running all alone. I asked him how he felt. “Okay,” he said. He had two more miles to go. The sweat ran down his face and his eyes were glassy from his fever. Yet he looked straight ahead and kept running. We never told him he couldn’t run four miles with a 103-degree fever. So he didn’t know.
Two weeks later, the names of the team runners were called. Joey was number six on the list.
Joey had made the team. He was in seventh grade — the other six team members were all eighth-graders. We never told him he shouldn’t expect to make the team. We never told him he couldn’t do it. We never told him he couldn’t do it...so he didn’t know. He just did it.
1. What does the underlined word in Para.1 mean?| A．A game. | B．A disability. | C．A stick. | D．An association. |
| A．Because they forgot to tell him the truth. | B．Because they liked cheating him. |
| C．Because they didn’t want to hurt him. | D．Because he didn’t want to know. |
| A．Lazy. | B．Intelligent. | C．Determined. | D．Dependent. |
| A．The Great Parents | B．The Road to Success |
| C．The Club Feet | D．He Didn’t Know |
8 . Like any new ninth-grader on the first day of school, Joemar Class had ninth-grader- emotion (情绪). He’s not used to school in Hartford. He’s used to going to school in his home town of Florida, used to seeing his friends, used to having class in Spanish.
“Nervioso,” he said in Spanish.
We first met Joemar in mid-October in the San Juan Airport. His father, Guillermo Class, had sold his car to buy plane tickets to get his kids and fly them up from Puerto Rico. The island was almost destroyed (毁坏) by the deadly storm—Hurricane Maria.
Now, they are settling into their new home in Hartford’s South End. A week later, using his wife’s car, Class drove 16-year-old Joemar to his first day at Bulkeley High School. After a short ride, he got out in front of his new school. Inside, he met Gretchen Levitz—the school’s program director.
“I see you have new uniform,” Levitz said. “You look great. Are you ready for a good first day? ”
Then he met couple of teachers.
“Hello” they each said in Spanish. They asked where he was from, and told him they were happy to see him. Then Levitz took him on a quick tour of the school before classes began — to her office, the school store, the library, and the dining hall.
A total of 19 languages are spoken in Bulkeley High School. “We have so many new students coming here from other countries every single day,” Levitz said. “So it’s not like he’s the only one who has that feeling.”
“You could tell he’s little worried,” Guillermo said as we left. “But, at the same time, he’s expecting it.”
1. What kind of feeling did Joemar have on his first day of school?| A．Nervous | B．Excited | C．Annoyed | D．Amazed |
| A．His old school closed down. |
| B．He wanted to see his mother. |
| C．He expected to have a new life. |
| D．His town was hit by a terrible storm. |
| A．He had a long talk with his father. |
| B．He said hello to some of his classmates. |
| C．He learned some simple Spanish words. |
| D．He had a short look around his new school. |
| A．It has no library. |
| B．It is an international school. |
| C．It plans to open Spanish classes. |
| D．It requires all students to wear uniforms. |
9 . Ranjan and Summer were good friends. They went to the same school and were in the same class.
Ranjan was not strong. He could not play football or other games with boys of his age. All that he did was to watch Summer and other boys play. He usually went with them to the playground. When they ran off to play, he would sit under a tree and read storybooks. Books became his best friends. The reading made him successful in all the exams. He always stood first in the class.
Summer was tall and strong. He spent most of his time running, swimming or riding bicycles. He was an extremely good player in every game. He was a member of the school’s football team and cricket team. The PE teacher thought he would make it big in the game when he grew up.
One day, the two friends went for a walk. Ranjan got tired soon. “I have no strength. What is the use of all this knowledge if I am not healthy? I would give away all my knowledge if I could be half as healthy and strong as you,” said Ranjan.
Summer was surprised and replied, “So you are not happy with yourself too? I always wished I could have done as well as you did in the studies. I even thought I could have given away my sporting skills for better grades in those exams.” The two friends looked at each other and cried out at the same time. “The grass looks greener on the other side of the hill.”
1. What did Ranjan usually do when he went to the playground with Summer?| A．He studied for the exams. |
| B．He played with his friend. |
| C．He read his favorite books. |
| D．He took care of the clothes. |
| A．Summer was very tall. |
| B．Summer was very strong. |
| C．Summer was good at doing sports. |
| D．Summer spent a lot of time playing sports. |
| A．Ranjan was proud of his knowledge. |
| B．Summer was unhappy with his studies. |
| C．Summer could do as well as Ranjan did in the studies. |
| D．Ranjan and Summer decided to learn from each other. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. |
| B．Nobody knows his own advantages. |
| C．Grass usually appears greener in faraway places. |
| D．We always want something better and feel unhappy. |
10 . Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity (逆境). But it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography(传记), she remembers with great fondness when her good friend-Sean became the first person to encourage her and help her build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.
“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition(志向) to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”
Though there were many difficulties, Rowling continued her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn't until 1990 that she first came up with the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls, “It was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head.” To my great disappointment, I didn't have a pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four (delayed train) hours, and all the details came up in my brain, and this thin, black-haired, bespectacled (戴眼镜的)boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.
That same year, her mother died after a ten-year fight with serious diseases, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with depression. Unemployed, she finished her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being refused by 12 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her friend's encouragement as well as her ambition to write.
1. Who believed J. K. Rowling was to be a good writer?| A．Her friend Sean. | B．Her mother. |
| C．Her daughter. | D．Her husband. |
| A．at the age of 6 | B．on a train journey |
| C．after her mother's death | D．in her secondary school |
| A．open-minded | B．warm-hearted |
| C．good-natured | D．strong-willed |
| A．adversity makes a good novelist |
| B．the courage to try is a special ability |
| C．you can have a wonderful idea everywhere |
| D．encouragement helps one succeed |
