1 . “I had no intention to adopt a cat that day. I just liked being around animals.” Miranda says. But when she saw Nala in her metal cage, “We made eye contact and I couldn't resist（抗拒）her big blue eyes.” At that point, “Nala was so small. I asked the shelter if I could hold her. Once had Nala in my arms, Nala looked up at me and licked（舔）my face.” And that was when she knew she had to take this kitty home.
Still, Miranda never imagined Nala would become an Insta-star. “I started Nala’s Instagram account in 2012 as a way to share photos with my close friends and family in Thailand,” she explained. The possibility of Nala gaining attention beyond that small group of people hadn’t occurred to her until it happened.
Miranda says, “Each time Nala’s photo was featured on Instagram’s popular page, her account would gain 1,000 new followers.” From there, Nala’s popularity snowballed. Large nationwide brands messaged Miranda about hiring Nala to do ads. “This took us by surprise because we couldn’t believe that a big brand wanted to pay them to take photos with their products next to Nala.”
Nala started life out in a shelter, just waiting to be loved like many other animals that were abandoned. Today that dream has surely come true. Nala has over 4 million followers on Instagram, which earned her the title “Guinness World Records Most Popular Cat on Instagram.”
In addition to managing her Insta fame, Nala is being asked to test various cat food brands. More importantly, “Nala is our chance to share the love to help create a better life for other animals, so they can grow well and bring joy to the world like Nala has.”
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．Visits to a shelter. | B．Love at first sight. |
| C．Power of blue eyes. | D．Duty to adopt cats. |
| A．To meet Nala’s needs. | B．To help Nala be a sta. |
| C．To share Nala’s pictures. | D．To attract public attention. |
| A．Satisfied | B．Amazed. | C．Upset. | D．Disappointed |
| A．Being well treated like many of her kind. | B．Starting life in the shelter. |
| C．Gaining chances to earn money. | D．Being raised by Instagram fans. |
2 . Having worked for more than a decade in finance in the oil industry in Canada, Tori Fahey found herself wanting more from life. But it wasn't through desperation that her circumstances changed: “I didn't get fed up and storm off, nothing like that; it was curiosity about other interests and wanting to experience something new.”
Fahey left her job and completed an MBA before setting up a move to New York to begin a degree. However, the opportunity of an open year between the MBA and the degree came up, and as a keen touring cyclist, Fahey realised that a much dreamed-about adventure was now becoming a possibility: "The ride in Africa had been on my fantasy list. It was a moment when I realised that I could do anything, so I should."
Fahey rode across Africa, a 7,500-mile trip that took four months. The whole experience had a life-changing impact. Fahey said: “Bicycles provide a literal freedom. You don't allow yourself to feel like that in everyday life because there are so many distractions. But when you' re out on the bike and there's nothing else, you' re really free to experience what life is.”
Post-degree, Fahey worked on projects with the UNDP(United Nations Development Project) in Montenegro with the aim of bringing investment to rural communities.
It was while working on these projects that the seeds were sown for the next new investment. “It was through my trip across Africa that I discovered pannier and rack systems inconvenient and I was never going to use them again.” Little did she know this would lead her to start up her own company.
In 2013, Apidura was born, producing storage solutions for people looking to travel the world by bike, race across continents and carry all they need to do so. It's now a successful global brand, but Fahey remains reflective about what else the company can do for people.
1. Why did Fahey leave her job in Canada?| A．She was bored with the job. | B．She was disappointed with life. |
| C．She wanted to add new dimensions to her life. | D．She found it hard to adjust to the circumstances. |
| A．Demanding. | B．Liberating. | C．Eventful. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．To encourage bicycle traveling. | B．To make her investment profitable. |
| C．To help cyclists carry traveling stuff. | D．To increase the pleasure of riding bikes. |
| A．A tough path to fame. | B．An adventure across Africa. |
| C．The benefits of green travelling. | D．The story behind the birth of Apidura. |
3 . That morning, I dropped our eldest at kindergarten and returned home to let our two younger children play while I worked on my medical report. It was a wonderful chance to work from home, but it hit me that my career in hospital wasn't making a difference in anyone's life. I needed something that would stretch my limits and push me to grow. My career enabled me to work from home. I could work from home, and become a foster mother, providing safety for a child who needed it desperately.
On Monday morning. I picked up the phone and dialed the number I had Googled for the nearest Department of Children's Services. The man on the other end was receptive to my questions and explained the next step of training, involving eight weeks of classes designed to prepare and educate foster parents. We continued through all the classes, the home visits, background checks, and seemingly endless steps.
Five long months after we were approved, the phone rang. In the middle of the night, I woke my husband and rushed to East Tennessee Children's Hospital. Our placement was waiting for us in the emergency room, sick and lack of nutrition. It didn't take long for us to realize the full depth of her suffering. Six months later, her half-brother came to us by our request. We now had five children under our care.
On August 12, 2016, our family of seven walked into a small courtroom. The children's lawyer and social worker were there. With just a few words, our adoption was finalized. These two amazing children weren't going home, because they were already home. We are their forever family, and they are our forever children. We may not be able to change the entire world, but we have changed the world entirely for our new children.
1. How did the author feel about her hospital work?| A．Lacking of motivation. | B．Filled with challenge. |
| C．Highly motivating. | D．Unusually Demanding. |
| A．She felt sympathetic for abused children she knew. |
| B．She wanted to make a difference in other people. |
| C．She felt confident about her ability to raise children. |
| D．She experienced training to raise children properly. |
| A．The child to be adopted. | B．The need to get trained. |
| C．The approval of adoption. | D．The official at the hospital. |
| A．To put the adopted kids elsewhere. | B．To receive another adopted child. |
| C．To make the adoption officially legal. | D．To begin the kids' adoption in her home. |
4 . Tommy got up very early on the Christmas morning. He looked in every room and wished a Merry Christmas to his family. Then he ran into the street to repeat that to those he might meet. When he returned to his home, his mother gave him two bright, new silver dollars.
His face lighted up as he got them. He had wished for 3 weeks to buy some pretty books that he had seen at the bookstore. He left his home with a light heart, and expected to buy the books. He was running down the street when he saw a poor family.
“I wish you a Merry Christmas.” said Tommy, as he was passing on. The man shook his head.“You are not from this country.” said Tommy. The man again shook his head, for he could not understand or speak his language. He pointed to his mouth and to the children shaking with cold, as if to say, “These little ones have had nothing to eat for a few days.” Tommy understood at once that these poor people were very hungry. He took out his dollars and gave one to the man, and the other to his wife.
They were excited and said something in their language, which doubtless meant,“ thank you so much that we will remember you all the time.”
When Tommy came home, his mother asked what books he bought. He hung his head a moment, but he quickly looked up.“I have bought no books” said he, “instead I gave my money to some poor people, who seemed to be very hungry then.” He went on, “I think I can wait for my books till next Christmas Day.”
“Oh, my dear boy,” said his mother, “here are some books for you, more as a prize for your goodness of heart than as a Christmas gift”
“I saw you give the money cheerfully to the poor German family. It was nice of you, a little boy, to do so. Be always ready to help others and every Christmas of your life will become to you a Merry Christmas.”
1. Tommy expected to _________ when he got the money from his mother.| A．help the poor family | B．buy something to eat |
| C．buy some pretty books | D．learn another language |
| A．He couldn’t understand the boy | B．He wouldn’t accept the money |
| C．He didn’t like the boy’s language | D．He was too cold to say anything |
| A．respect old people | B．be ready to help people |
| C．learn a second language | D．read more books |
| A．got a prize for his kind heart | B．had to buy his books next year |
| C．bought the books at the bookstore | D．got more money from his mother |
5 . One day about eight years ago in the departure lounge (休息室) of a flight from New York's LaGuardia airport to O'Hare in Chicago, I found a young boy in tears and his mother at his side also appeared upset, I walked to them and invited them to our VIP lounge.
As it turned out, the boy, Miles and his mom were returning to their home in Kansas City. Miles has had some health problems. Though he had received more than thirty operations in a Jewish Hospital in New York, he would be back for more.
Miles enjoyed spending his time in our VIP lounge looking at the entire wall filled with the pictures of many celebrities (名人) who often came to our office. We soon added Miles' picture to the wall among those celebrities.
Among the celebrities, Miles like the country singer Garth Brooks best. Miles would just sit and stare at Garth's picture,
One day, Mr. Brooks was waiting in the lounge for his flight. As he looked at the collection of photographs, Garth asked about the youngster with the big smile. We told him about Miles. We also told him how much Miles loved and respected (尊重) him. He nodded and left.
About six months later, Garth was going to be performing in Kansas City and he asked our workers to help him get in touch with the family. He wanted Miles to be his guest. That evening, not only did Miles sit in the front row, but he and Garth also had a private meeting after the performance.
Although Miles would receive many more treatments after that special evening, his smile greeted us with every following visit. The face of a sick boy was changed by the joy of a stranger.
1. What does the author probably do?| A．A worker at an airport. | B．A killed photographer. |
| C．A country music singer. | D．A doctor in a Jewish hospital. |
| A．Interviewing celebrities he saw there. |
| B．Seeing pictures of celebrities on the wall. |
| C．Drawing pictures of the celebrities there. |
| D．Singing together with his favorite singer. |
| A．Determined and generous. | B．Proud and selfish. |
| C．Kind and helpful. | D．Powerful and rich. |
| A．Importance of Good Service | B．Kindness from Strangers |
| C．A Serious Health Problem | D．A Helpless Mother |
6 . Recently it is said that a dog has received an award for picking up a number of beer cans, coffee cups, and other pieces of trash, helping clean up her neighborhood in the process. It's unclear if Daisy is aware of her service, but her help has not gone unnoticed, by any means.
In fact, it is reported that this nine-year-old dog has picked up more than 5,000 pieces of rubbish. Daisy has been collecting rubbish for the last eight years, at least two times a day. Coming from the city of Worcester in the United Kingdom, Daisy has become the first dog to receive an honor from the mayor(市长). Unlike other dogs, Daisy prefers sniffing around for beer cans, among other things. She carries them back home to her owner, Judy Owens, who then takes her pet's offerings and recycles them.
“I wish Daisy understood how special she was and the award just marks what a special little dog she is,” Judy said. “She started picking up rubbish when she was around a beer can and I think she discovered it by accident.”
“One day she just sniffed out a beer can, then began picking it up," she continued. “She gets very attached to rubbish, and she must think it's some kind of treasure.”
Daisy has become something of a celebrity in her town, often known as the dog that helps get rid of all the rubbish. Then, the mayor invited Judy and Daisy to come to his office. “When we arrived he told us that Daisy would be receiving the award because he wanted to make people more conscious of protecting the environment and to thank her for her contributions over the years,” Judy said. “It was such a surprise... Daisy thought this was great and went to sit on the mayor's chair with a beer can in her mouth. Everyone thought she was funny and started laughing.”
1. Why did the dog receive the award?| A．She had brought a lot of treasure to her owner. |
| B．She had kept all the city clean for eight years. |
| C．She had contributed a lot to getting rid of the trash. |
| D．She had made people aware of protecting environment. |
| A．By accident. | B．By force. |
| C．Through praise. | D．Through training. |
| A．Curious. | B．Excited. |
| C．Ashamed. | D．Thankful. |
| A．A dog owner trains her dog to pick up rubbish. |
| B．A dog receives an award for picking up rubbish. |
| C．A mayor gives an award to a dog in his office. |
| D．A mayor raises people's environmental awareness. |
7 . I waited 14 years to do something that I should have done in my first year of teaching: shadow a student for a day.
This is the first year I am working in a school but not teaching my own classes. Being the High School Learning Coach, my job is to work with teachers and administrators to improve students’ learning outcomes.
As part of getting my feet wet, the headmaster suggested I “be” a student for a day: I was to complete all the work of a 10th-grade student: if there were notes on the board, I copied them as fast as I could into my notebook; if there was an experiment, I did it with my host student; if there was a test, I took it.
I could not believe how dog-tired I was after the day, because I literally sat down the whole day, except for walking to and from classes. We forget as teachers, because we are on our feet a lot — in front of the board, walking as we speak, circling around the room to check on student work…. we move a lot.
But students almost never move, because in every class, the expectation was for us to come in, take our seats, and sit down for the whole class. Therefore, by the end of the day I was eager to move. I had planned to go back to my office and write down some notes on the day, but I was so exhausted that I couldn’t do anything but watch TV and I was in bed by 8:30.
If I could go back and change my classes now, I would immediately change the following three things:
1. mandatory stretch halfway through the class;
2. put a basketball hoop on the back of my door and encourage kids to play in the first and final minutes of class;
3. build a hands-on, move-around activity into every single class day.
1. Why did the headmaster suggest the author do the task?| A．To help the author with her new job. | B．To allow the author to realize her dream. |
| C．To let the author learn from other teachers. | D．To test whether the author was a good coach. |
| A．Instruct the students how to take notes. | B．Find out what subject the students liked. |
| C．Do what the students were required to do. | D．Teach students to do chemical experiments. |
| A．She lost interest in TV. | B．She had pity for students. |
| C．She felt unsatisfied with the school. | D．She thought teachers move too much. |
| A．They are after-class activities. | B．They encourage students to love sports. |
| C．They prevent students from sitting too long. | D．They are good for both teachers and students. |
8 . When Millet was a boy he worked on his needy father's farm. At the rest hour in the fields the other workers would all take naps (打盹儿），but young Millet would spend time drawing. Finally the village where he lived gave him a little money to Paris to study art.
When Millet reached Paris, he had a tough time. Fortunately, when he was almost starving, someone bought one of his peasant paintings, which enabled his family to leave for Barbizon.
Millet's pictures of peasants at work were painted in a unique way. The painter would go out on the farms and watch them carefully, then he would come home and paint what he had seen. So astonishingly accurate was his memory that he could paint at home without models and get all the movements of his figures right. When he did need a figure to go by he would ask his wife to pose for him.
One of his noted artworks is called "The Sower", which shows a man seeding. He reaches into his bag for seed and then swings backward to scatter (撒播） the seed, and with each swing of his hand the sower strides (大步走） forward. In Millet's picture the sower has been working hard, but his swinging step and arm still move smoothly, like a machine. Only the man's head reveals his great tiredness.
Another masterpiece is called "The Gleaners". A gleaner is someone picking up the leftover in the field after the wheat harvest. When farmers near Barbizon are extremely badly-off, even the little the gleaners can find is a help. You can see from Millet's picture what back-breaking work gleaning must be.
1. What do we know about Millet?| A．His wife supported him to be a painter. | B．He was keen on painting as a kid. |
| C．He spent his whole life in Barbizon. | D．He was brought up in Paris. |
| A．Asking models for help. |
| B．Imagining figures in the field. |
| C．Remembering what he had observed. |
| D．Recalling the days on his father's farm. |
| A．The farmers' hardships |
| B．The scene of gardening |
| C．His love for the village |
| D．His anxiety about the farmers |
| A．A short-story collection |
| B．A personal diary |
| C．A magazine of art |
| D．A science magazine |
9 . Recently, as I watched my son Nathan play basketball for his school team, I was feeling sorry for myself and for him. His team was facing adversity (困境) on the court and he was playing in a hostile environment — it was the opponent’s home gym filled with their supporters, and Nathan’s team was trailing (落后) for three quarters of the game. As for me, I had just been dismissed (解雇) from my job earlier in that day.
During the drive home, I kept telling myself that I would find work again in a short time — I was always confident in my experience and abilities, but self-doubt was still sticking its foot in the door.
The basketball game entered the fourth quarter with Nathan’s team still trailing. I saw the determination on his face as well as his teammates’ as they fought back to not only tie the game, but then go ahead by three points. Then, a player from the other team made an unbelievable shot to make the game tied again. With the tied scores and seconds on the clock, Nathan found himself with the ball and with skill and confidence, he made the basket with a defender hanging all over him. The other player was called for a foul (犯规).
As Nathan stood preparing for a shot that would put his team up by three points, I saw the focus and determination on his face, with no room for self-doubt. Nathan was able to tune out all the distractions and nail the free throw with such skill, as if he had done it a thousand times.
As I sat there, my heart bursting with pride, it dawned on me that I had taught him perseverance (毅力) in the face of adversity, and he had just taught me the same lesson. That brief moment of self-doubt and feeling sorry for myself was blown away by the actions of my son on the basketball court. He will play in the finals, but it doesn’t matter if he wins or loses. At this moment, we both won.
1. What did the author estimate his son’s team would be like at first?| A．The team would finally win. |
| B．The team would lose at away court. |
| C．The team would lose at home court. |
| D．The team would tie with the opponents. |
| A．Avoid. | B．Focus. | C．Create. | D．Receive. |
| A．My son would win in the finals and I would find a job soon. |
| B．I had once taught my son face to face that we should never give up. |
| C．It was my encouragement and help that made my son win the game. |
| D．I would become more confident about my future after this experience. |
| A．Life Goes Just Like Playing Basketball |
| B．It Matters Whether to Win or Lose |
| C．A Lesson in Life and Basketball |
| D．A Moment of Self-doubt |
10 . Mark Twain, the famous American writer, liked to play jokes on others. But once a joke was played on him. One day Mark Twain was invited to give a talk in a small town. At lunch he met a young man, one of his friends.The young man said that he has an uncle with him. He told Twain that his uncle never laughed or smiled, and that nobody and nothing was able to make his uncle smile or laugh.
"You bring your uncle to my talk tonight, "said Mark Twain. "I'm sure I can make him laugh".
That evening the young man and his uncle sat in the front. Mark Twain began to speak. He told several funny stories. This made everyone in the room laugh.But the man never even smiled. Mark Twain told more funny stories, but the old man still kept quiet. Mark Twain told his funny stories. Finally he stopped. He was tired and quite disappointed(失望的)．
Some days later, Mark Twain told another friend of his about what had happened.
"Oh," said his friend. "I know that old man. He's been deaf(聋)for years."
1. Mark Twain liked to play jokes on_____.| A．himself | B．others | C．old men | D．Americans |
| A．a friend | B．a young man's uncle |
| C．a young girl | D．a deaf |
| A．spoke | B．talked | C．laughed | D．ate |
| A．thirsty | B．tired | C．angry | D．sleepy |
