1 . Born with severe hearing loss, Li has found her way to communicate with the world—through painting.
Before learning to paint, Li always felt lonely in a silent world. She knew she was different from her peers because she could not hear. But a painting class in primary school opened for her a door to creativity and a way of expression.
“I still remember my first mural, which was to help a kindergarten to design and paint its wall,” Li says. “The project made me realize how happy I was immersing myself into painting.”
To pursue her passion for art, Li went to study advertising design at a vocational and technical school. “Painting brushes can help me create a colorful world in my imagination, telling my thoughts on paper, instead of through voices,” Li said.
Graduating from college in 2005, Li got a job as a typist at a public institute. But she could not communicate well with her other colleagues. Her husband understood how she felt because he lost his hearing due to medication when he was 1 year old. He is also an art lover. In March 2016, under her husband’s suggestion, Li quit her job and joined her husband’s company, which specializes in 3D wall and ground paintings.
Wall painting is a demanding job because it requires people to work outdoors, whether in extremely cold or hot weather. As all the people are hearing-impaired in their company, communication with clients is the most common challenge that the team faces.
Now in many parks and scenic spots, the couple have created large-scale murals and interactive pavement painting that make onlookers a part of the drawings.
“My husband and I want to introduce painting to more people like us and help them find their own way to make a living,” Li says. Now Li has an apprentice who just graduated from college. While coaching the newcomer, Li is exploring her own style and hopes to become an illustrator and open her own exhibition one day.
“They’re energetic young people with a passion to create new things, and you can feel that in their paintings,” one of their clients said. “They’re also a professional, dedicated team, often working late into the night on the designs for us.”
Li hopes that their stories can encourage more hearing-impaired people to build their own careers and achieve their goals, regardless of how tough it may be.
1. According to the passage, the painting class in primary school ________.| A．started Li’s first advertising design |
| B．helped Li find a new way to express herself |
| C．made Li learn about 3D wall and ground paintings |
| D．turned Li’s dream of opening an exhibition into reality |
| A．Li can communicate with her clients easily. |
| B．Li lost her hearing when she was I year old. |
| C．Li and her husband have created many wonderful paintings. |
| D．Li and her husband hope to become illustrators in the future. |
| A．Donate money to them. | B．Design painting gifts for them. |
| C．Inspire them to create their own careers. | D．Support them to complete college education. |
| A．One is never too old to learn. | B．Failure is the mother of success. |
| C．Accepting what you have makes you happy. | D．Nothing is impossible to the man who will try. |
2 . During 20 years of stacking (码放) shelves with goods at his family’s supermarket in Pollenca on the Spanish island of Mallorca, Jose Luis-Reig, known as Pep, never gave a thought to the academic world. It was only when visiting the classrooms and passages of mainland universities with his two teenage daughters that he suddenly felt himself at home among the books and atmosphere of learning.
After school Pep had intended to do a degree in biology at Barcelona University but had been called on to help run the family business instead.
But the question of “What’s my role in life?“ still kept coming back to him. It wasn’t until a year later that the answer suddenly struck him. When he was at school, other children would come to him with their problems. He developed a reputation and so was invited onto local radio, where the interviewer said, “You’re like a young psychologist.”
Pep was no stranger to change. The family business had originally been a sawmill (锯木厂), but when Pep, then 27, was asked if he wanted to take over, he decided to transform the mill into the town’s first supermarket.
One day in the shop, what the radio presenter said came back to him. After running the idea past his family, he applied to university in Palma to study psychology and, aged 46, was accepted.
“I had to get used to being much older than all the other students,” he says.“ In fact, I was older than my professor. But I believe disadvantages can always be advantages. And I ended up helping the others because I’d had more life experience that carries psychological impact, which could reflect classroom theory.
Pep came top of his year and impressed his tutors so much that he was offered a job researching and teaching, which he still does while studying for a master’s in neuropsychology. Now 52, and still in the job, he adds, “My only regret is not having done it earlier.
1. What can we know about Pep in the first paragraph?| A．He felt relaxed in the academic atmosphere. |
| B．He visited his daughters’ universities frequently. |
| C．He supported his daughters by arranging shelves. |
| D．He never quit the thought of going to mainland colleges. |
| A．To win a reputation. | B．To study psychology. |
| C．To take over his family business. | D．To cure children of their problems. |
| A．His pursuit of a better career. | B．The radio presenter’s comment. |
| C．His classmates’ encouragement. | D．The proposal of the family members. |
| A．Integrity. | B．Self-discipline. | C．Sensitivity. | D．Optimism. |
3 . Two weeks ago, a 5-year-old girl named Sunshine Oelfke emptied out her piggy bank (存钱罐) onto the living room floor and immediately started counting. Her grandmother, Jackie Oelfke, thought she was playing as she carefully lined up the coins, but then she saw the girl put the coins into a plastic bag and place it in her backpack.
“What are you doing with that money?” Jackie asked her granddaughter.
“I’m taking it to school,” Sunshine replied. “I’m going to take it for milk money. My friend Layla doesn’t get milk— her mom doesn’t have milk money and I do.”
Jackie’s heart melted at Sunshine’s words. Choked with strong feelings, Jackie held her sweet granddaughter tightly in her arms.
Last week, Jackie and Sunshine met with her teacher, Rita Hausher, and handed her the $30 the kindergartner had saved. There are 20 kids in Sunshine’s class and about half don’t get milk. It costs $ 0.45 a carton (纸盒). The total adds up to about $180 a month for every child in the class to have milk every day.
After dropping Sunshine off at school, Jackie posted a tearful video on Facebook to explain her granddaughter’s plan. To her surprise, many people offered to donate toward the cause. Within a week, Jackie raised more than $1,000. Now every student in Sunshine’s class can get free milk for the rest of the year.
Jackie said Sunshine doesn’t see her kind act as a big deal. She was just trying to look out for her friends. “She doesn’t understand the effect she’s brought about,” Jackie said. “But now she knows she can do whatever she puts her mind to.”
1. Why did Sunshine empty her piggy bank?| A．She hoped to show off her savings in class. | B．She needed to train her counting skills. |
| C．She wanted to play with the coins. | D．She intended to pay for her friend’s milk. |
| A．Relieved. | B．Touched. | C．Curious. | D．Proud. |
| A．Two heads are better than one. | B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. | D．There’s no such thing as a free lunch. |
| A．Small Coins, Big Changes. | B．Jackie’s Piggy Bank. |
| C．Piggy Bank and Carton Milk. | D．A Moved Grandmother. |
4 . Tired of the busy and chaotic life in Las Vegas, Nevada for nearly ten years, my family and I decided to slow things down. We wanted to lead an environmental-friendly life.
None of us felt that this could be accomplished where we were living and we all agreed that a move to the country would be great for everyone.
Before long we set about looking for a home in Yucca, Arizona, a very small town of less than 1,000 people. When I called to inquire about the property, I was informed that there was no electricity available in the area. What? No electricity? I almost denied the idea immediately. But what better way is there to go green? After giving it a second thought, we decided to put in an offer and moved in on Thanksgiving Day.
When we first moved to the property, we did some remodeling (改造) and stayed in our motor home. We were confronted with real challenges at the time. But the frustrations just made us work harder. We slowly got things fixed and moved into the house after 38 days.
While living here for the past four months has been a big adjustment, there are many benefits to living off the grid (电线). I think one of the most educational lessons is teaching my kids the importance of conservation. They used to take water, power and gas for granted. We started taking quicker showers, doing only full loads of laundry, turning off the water while brushing our teeth. In addition, we are also trying to make other changes which include reducing the amount of trash we generate by recycling, growing our own organic vegetables and re-purposing things that we would normally throw.
Overall, going off the grid has been great for our family. I hope that once my kids move out of the house, they will keep the habits that they have learned by living off the grid.
1. Why did the family move to a remote town?| A．Financial debt forced them to save more money. |
| B．Having a new lifestyle has become a trend. |
| C．They reached an agreement to lead a green life. |
| D．They got a discount on a property accidentally. |
| A．Satisfied. | B．Astonished. | C．Relieved. | D．Refreshed. |
| A．saving resources makes a difference | B．life is beyond our expectation |
| C．city chaos will disappear sooner or later | D．repair the house before it rains |
| A．How urgent it was to lead an environmental-friendly life. |
| B．How a family of urban-residents switched to a simple life. |
| C．How significant it was to better adapt to a new environment. |
| D．How a carbon-free lifestyle has been promoted to the country. |
5 . It was mid-afternoon. I looked outside my dorm window, and saw the lifeless gray sky, the snow and the trackless sidewalks. There was no one in the snow but a squirrel. The brown-gray North American squirrel,a look of terror in his shining eyes, braved the cold to throw himself over snow. In his mouth was a large acorn(橡实)—I was surprised it fit in his mouth.
I moved closer to my window, outside of which is a medium-sized tree, lacking its warm-weather leaves. The squirrel ran up rapidly, higher and higher in the tree, and his small body held onto his dear acorn.
Up he went, to the tip of one of the highest branches. I held my breath—I wondered if that slender branch could support him. I wondered if his winter food store was in this tree—squirrels are known to hide their nuts, mushrooms, and vegetation high up in trees. Outside, the squirrel firmly grasped that branch, jaw clamping(夹紧)on his acorn.
Then came the wind blowing violently, shaking the tree, the branch and the squirrel. He hung on for dear life, and both arms wrapped around the branch in the wind. I held my breath: If he fell from a height like this, then.... Seeing this little squirrel, I had my heart in my mouth. As the wind became stronger, the squirrel’s precious acorn fell to the ground. The squirrel followed its downward progress only by sight—if he let go the branch, he would fall downwards as well. I was so nervous that I didn’t take my gaze off the squirrel for one minute. Surprisingly, he then climbed down the tree and was now half-buried in the snow, searching desperately for his acorn. Finally, he made it.
The brave animal is able to survive in nature all because of its desperate efforts.The same goes for us humans. We all work hard to survive, and this is the law of nature. So effort is not something special, but a matter for all living things to do to survive.
1. What did the author discover outside the window?| A．A squirrel was freezing nearly to death. |
| B．A squirrel was choked by a large acorn. |
| C．A squirrel was picking acorns from a tree. |
| D．A squirrel was climbing to the top of a tree. |
| A．Dead. | B．Straight. | C．Slim. | D．Thick. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Unfriendly. | C．Uncaring. | D．Curious. |
| A．Stop struggling, life is stopped. |
| B．Facts speak louder than words. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. |
| D．Teaching others teaches yourself. |
6 . I applied to be a first-grade teacher’s assistant. The job paid the lowest wage, and I could hardly afford to pay my rent. I had no desire to go into education, so I didn’t know why I was attracted to this position. Working with children was not my motivation at that time. But later I found that it was all I wanted to do.
There was a student, Ashley, in my class who was very creative and interested in writ-ing. I helped Ashley write her first short story. Ashley and her mother Shirin walked into our classroom every morning. Shirin often volunteered to work in our classroom and would always give me a hug. She asked me questions about her daughter and my writing. At that time, I was working on a new romantic comedy script, and Shirin gave positive comments when I told her the plot.“I can’t wait to see this in the theater!” My confidence increased. I would also exchange some ideas with her. We became very good friends. Shirin also showered me with gifts. For holidays or my birthday, she’d get me some nice gifts. She was always finding ways to wrap me in love and encouragement.
I had worked as a teacher’s assistant for three years. Then I decided to start teaching cre-ative writing. Shirin and I had stayed close, and she kept encouraging me. I was forever grateful that I became a teacher’s assistant and met Shirin. She appeared in my life at just the right time.
1. What did the author think of her job at first?| A．Amazing. | B．Educational. | C．Unsatisfied. | D．Ordinary. |
| A．Shirin was very good at writing plays. |
| B．The author was always ready to help others in life. |
| C．The author’s play was successfully adapted into a film. |
| D．The encouragement from Shirin made the author move on. |
| A．Responsible. | B．Kind. | C．Ambitious. | D．Humorous. |
| A．Ups and downs make one strong. | B．Family relationship influences children. |
| C．Writing comes from life and enriches heart. | D．Encouragement can change one’s attitude to life. |
7 . The input Dad has on my career is incomparable. My earliest memories are of Dad sitting in the kitchen playing the guitar, listening to his favourite song by his favourite singer, and encouraging his little girl to poke (戳) keys randomly on the piano. Even watching Top of the Pops, he would get so passionate about music in it. We weren’t a religious family, but there was something spiritual about Dad’s connection with music.
Music also became a source of comfort for me. I failed to do well academically at school and had no friends. Being at school consumed so much of my emotional energy. Instead of going to school to learn stuff, I felt as though I was simply trying to get people to like me. Things were better, but the only time I truly felt happy was when I was at home listening to music with Mum and Dad or writing songs on the piano —and the older I got, the more powerful music felt.
Dad was always my biggest supporter. When I started giving live performances at the local bar, he was the one who drove me there and back. Freeing up that time wasn’t easy for an actor. His job might mean three weeks in the Czech Republic or working with George Lucas on The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones in Hollywood.
Dad has been involved with some amazing stuff, but Daddy Pig is the one that’s had the biggest impact all over the world. When I was flying to Australia for my first tour, I was trying to find something to watch on the little screen and I noticed they had Peppa Pig. If I’m missing home and family, I always put it on. Daddy Pig is a fairly real version of my dad —he loves chocolate cake, he’s funny and usually breaks things when he’s trying to mend them. Mum and Dad were friends with one of the producers of the show and I often wonder if he looked at my dad and thought, “That’s him …that’s Daddy Pig.”
1. What can we learn about the author’s father?| A．He was good at writing songs. |
| B．He was attached to music in his soul. |
| C．He encouraged her to play the guitar. |
| D．He was passionate about watching TV series. |
| A．By picking her up in a tight schedule. |
| B．By doing a demanding job as an actor. |
| C．By watching her musical performances. |
| D．By giving live performances at the local bar. |
| A．It’s her favourite childhood cartoon. |
| B．She saw her father through Daddy Pig. |
| C．She took pride in this world famous cartoon. |
| D．It’s a cartoon about her hometown and motherland. |
| A．Funny and honest. | B．Strict and hardworking. |
| C．Famous and patient. | D．Supportive and influential. |
8 . I had just arrived in this Asian country for a one-year teaching position. One day, I took a subway to visit some ancient palaces and temples in the downtown. What happened to me next on the subway has taught me much about culture difference.
Since all the seats were taken, I stood. Suddenly, I felt someone pulling on my bag. Assuming I probably was in someone’s way, I moved over slightly. But in one quick motion, I felt my bag removed from my back, and in a flash, it was gone. I turned around to see who the thief was. I looked at the people standing behind me, but didn’t see my bag or anyone suspicious. My heart began to beat wildly and I began to panic.
I looked around, only to find directly across from me was an elderly lady, and sitting on her lap was my bag. I tried to get it back from her lap. But as I began to pull it up, she quickly took it back and held onto it. I looked around at the people standing beside me, and those sitting beside her, but no one took any notice of the situation. Trying not to cause a scene, I tried to negotiate through gestures. I used my hands as much as I could, but she ignored my requests for my bag and pointed to my back. She picked up my bag, showing how heavy it was. I finally began to understand. She was holding my bag to help me.
At the next stop, a middle-aged woman got on the crowded subway. Another elderly woman sitting down took her bag, setting it on her lap. They didn’t talk; yet this older woman was more than pleased to sit with this stranger’s bag on her lap throughout her journey.
As the subway pulled into the main downtown station and I was getting ready to get off, the woman gently handed me back my bag. But before I had a chance to thank her, she had disappeared into the crowd.
1. What happened after the writer got on the subway?| A．The writer’s bag was stolen by an elderly lady. | B．The writer stood in someone’s way. |
| C．An old lady asked the writer to sit beside her. | D．A stranger offered help to the writer. |
| A．Feel frightened. | B．Feel grateful. | C．Feel relaxed. | D．Feel ashamed. |
| A．The middle-aged woman and the elderly woman were good friends. |
| B．The passengers on the subway were very unfriendly. |
| C．Helping standing passengers with heavy bags was common on local subways. |
| D．There were many thieves on the subway. |
| A．To warn us of the potential risks in travelling abroad. | B．To tell us a culture difference. |
| C．To recommend a travel destination. | D．To give us some tips on taking a subway. |
9 . Ed Jackson’s team were trying to climb to the top of a Himalayan Mountain. However, weeks after they set off, they were stranded (滞留) there overnight without water, food or tents at a temperature of about -30℃. They took turns to keep each other awake in case they fell asleep and did not wake up again.
Actually, that night on the mountain top was not the first time that Jackson had been close to death. Five years ago, while still a professional rugby player, Jackson broke his neck in a challenge, which nearly killed him. Jackson was told by doctors that he was likely to face life in a wheelchair. He was forced to retire from playing rugby.
Luckily, Jackson managed to discard his wheelchair six months after the accident. To mark the first anniversary of his accident, Jackson set himself the goal of climbing Mount Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, even though he was still using two crutches (拐杖) then. He tried to climb many higher mountains after that. Four years later, he found himself in the Himalayas.
The challenges that Jackson faced in the mountains have had a great impact on his recovery both physically and mentally. Jackson realized that others might benefit, too. So he started the charity Millimeters to Mountains (M2M) with his wife Lois and his friend Oily Barkley. It takes beneficiaries (受益人) who have suffered physical or psychological injuries in challenges around the world, allowing them to access the healing power of nature.
Jackson says, “I once lost hope in life because of my bad condition, thinking there was nothing I could do. But hopefully what I’m doing, what we’re doing with the charity and what our beneficiaries are proving can give anyone the hope that they can turn their life around, no matter how discouraging it might seem at that moment.”
1. What do the first two paragraphs mainly talk about?| A．Jackson was tired of ball games. |
| B．Jackson was no stranger to suffering in life. |
| C．Jackson was well respected for his survival skills. |
| D．Jackson was advised to do exercise by his doctors. |
| A．Give up. | B．Rely on. | C．Tear apart. | D．Carry through. |
| A．To educate sports lovers. | B．To raise money for the disabled. |
| C．To encourage safe mountain climbing. | D．To help people with similar experiences. |
| A．Enthusiastic and independent. | B．Creative and aggressive. |
| C．Adventurous and inspiring. | D．Responsible and humorous. |
10 . “Should I go? I do have a lot of work to do.” The question came from my daughter, Tracy, a college senior, who was debating whether or not to go with her roommates on a Saturday to drive to the beach and enjoy some unseasonably warm March weather.
On the one hand, sand, sunshine, and perhaps some fried food were prizes she deserved after a hard-won year of college life; on the other hand, her thesis (论文) conclusion wasn’t going to write itself. As a rather type A student, Tracy was unsure if she should go, and had asked my opinion.
As I read her text, I remembered my own college road trips in the 80s. At that time, four of us theater students, anxious and disappointed about the posting of a cast list, had driven out to the countryside through apple orchards (果园). We stopped at the side of the road to climb over a stone wall to grab some apples from a tree, taking off laughing, and ending the trip with ice-creams. I still remember sitting at a picnic table with the kind of laughter that you hope will never end.
I texted my daughter back, “Take the day off and go to the beach. The thesis can wait.” Actually, I wanted to text her much more than that. I wanted to tell her that college is for so many things—academic and personal growth and challenges, all-night study sessions, paper deadlines, and office hours. But it’s also for road trips with your roommates and a chance to extricate every bit of stress and responsibility for a few hours.
College is for the memories that you don’t think are anything special right now. But someday, one of you will say, “Hey, remember that time on the beach?” And those precious memories are worth more than any thesis conclusion ever could be.
1. Why did Tracy hesitate to go to the beach?| A．She was kind of stay-at-home. | B．She had to complete her paper. |
| C．She worried about the weather. | D．She didn’t invite her roommates. |
| A．Their demand for spiritual relief. |
| B．Their desire to test their new car. |
| C．Their need to experience country life. |
| D．Their plan for seeking play materials. |
| A．Take on. | B．Think of. | C．Go through. | D．Shake off. |
| A．Good friends always make life happier. |
| B．Stress from college life can play its part. |
| C．College memories are more than academic achievements. |
| D．Academic achievements absolutely come first at college. |
