1 . I was 9 years old when I found out my father was ill. It was 1944, but I can remember my mother’s words as if it were yesterday, “Kerrel, I don’t want you to take food from your father, because he has AIDS. Be very careful when you are around him.”
AIDS wasn’t something we talked about in my country when I was growing up. From then on, I knew that this would be a family secret. My parents were not together anymore, and my dad lived alone. For a while, he could take care of himself. But when I was 12, his condition worsened. My father’s other children lived far away, so it fell to me to look after him.
We couldn’t afford all the necessary medication for him, and because Dad was unable to work, I had no money for school supplies and often couldn’t even buy food for dinner. I would sit in class feeling completely lost, the teacher’s words muffled(消声) as I tried to figure out how I was going to manage. I did not share my burden(负担) with anyone. I had seen how people reacted to AIDS. Kids laughed at classmates who had parents with the disease. And even adults could be cruel. When my father was moved to the hospital, the nurses would leave his food on the bedside table even though he was too weak to feed himself.
I had known that he was going to die, but after so many years of keeping his condition a secret, I was completely unprepared when he reached his final days. Sad and hopeless, I called a woman at the nonprofit National AIDS Support. That day, she didn’t know any about me and my father, but kept me on the phone for hours. I was so lucky to find someone who was so kind. She saved my life.
I was 15 when my father died. He took his secret away with him, having never spoken about AIDS to anyone, even me. He didn’t want to call attention to AIDS. I do.
1. What was Kerrel’s life like when she was little?| A．She often took food from her father. |
| B．She had to be careful when staying with her father. |
| C．She didn’t look after her father until she was 15. |
| D．She worked hard to pay for her father’s medication. |
| A．She couldn’t understand her teacher. |
| B．She had special difficulty in hearing. |
| C．She was too concerned to focus on the lesson. |
| D．She was too tired to hear her teacher’s words. |
| A．She thought it was shameful to have AIDS. |
| B．She was afraid of being looked down upon. |
| C．She found no one willing to listen to her. |
| D．She wanted to obey her mother. |
| A．A secret never spoken. | B．The sufferings of my father. |
| C．The terrible AIDS. | D．Dark days in childhood. |
2 . Do you like running enough to make it a habit? Temey Wolfgram does; she has made running a lifelong career and isn’t stopping.
In February, the 16-year-old from Woodbury High School, Minnesota, US, competed at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. She finished the marathon (42,J95 km) with a tune of 2:42:47 as the youngest competitor in the race and ranked 76th out of 390 runners.
Then, in November, Wolfgram, who turned 17, broke the Women's American Junior marathon record with her time of 2:31:49. The old record was 2:34:32, which had stood since 1984. During the run, Wolfgram once hit a wall pretty hard, but she overcame it to finish. “I guess I can say I gave it my all,” she told Runner's World. “When I finished, all I was thinking was that I was super happy,” Wolfgram said.
This was only her third marathon. In 2018, when Wolfgram was 15 years old, she ran her first marathon just because she wanted to see if she was capable of doing it. “I believed that I would get faster as the distances got longer... and I'm still glad that I did it.”
When preparing for that first marathon, she ran up to 120 miles （about 190 kilometers） per week. Although her parents didn't have any background in running, they helped Wolfgram train. At first, her dad would take her out in the morning and run about 13 miles. The distance would gradually increase each day. On top of her runs in the morning, she would do cross-country practice after school.
Next, Wolfgram will think about attending the Olympic Games in 2024 after it's scheduled.
1. In which race has Wolfgram broken a record?| A．The 2020 US Olympic Trials. | B．The 2020 Women’s American Junior marathon. |
| C．Her first marathon in 2018. | D．The 2024 Olympic Games. |
| A．To knock one's head against a wall. | B．To be disappointed. |
| C．To go smoothly. | D．To be very tired. |
| A．Her coach's support. | B．Her parents, encouragement |
| C．Her desire to prove she could do it | D．Her hope to break the national record. |
| A．Outgoing. | B．Determined. | C．Honest | D．Smart. |
3 . Jeremy Savage, aged 17, and Ian Marshall, aged 16, went to the Rocky Mountains with their parents for the weekend. On Saturday morning, the two boys decided to climb Cathedral Mountain by themselves while their parents relaxed at the campsite. After three hours, they reached the top with no problems.
However, trouble began when they started the climb down the mountain. On one very dangerous part of the path, Ian fell three metres off the side of the path. Jeremy was able to climb down to where Ian was. Ian was badly injured and could not move. Jeremy had to decide what to do. He needed help, but he did not want to leave his friend. He used water from his own bottle to clean the dirt and blood from Ian’s face and hands. He tried to help Ian stand up, but Ian’s right leg was hurting too much. They had to wait and hope that someone would come and help them.
When the boys did not return to the campsite that evening, their parents became very worried. They got in touch with park workers and began searching for the boys. Soon more than 20 people were looking for the boys.
As night fell, the boys were still missing. While they waited for help to arrive, Jeremy gave Ian his food and water and he let Ian lie on his jacket so he would be more comfortable. As the evening grew darker, Ian told Jeremy to leave him and go back to their parents, but he still did not leave. Jeremy thought it was too dangerous for Ian to be alone. The night was cold and windy, and Jeremy used his jacket and an extra shirt to keep Ian warm.
At sunrise, Jeremy decided that the only way to help his friend was to carry him. So, they started the long climb back to their parents. Sometimes Jeremy carried Ian on his hack. Sometimes he carried him in his arms. Finally, after four hours, they arrived at the campsite where their parents were waiting. “I will always remember what Jeremy did for me,” said Ian. “He saved my life. That is the greatest thing that a person can do for his friend.”
1. What happened to Ian on his way down the mountain?| A．Ian fell three miles off the side of the path. |
| B．Ian climbed down to where Jeremy was. |
| C．Ian was badly injured and could not move. |
| D．Ian decided what to do because Jeremy was injured. |
| A．Because they knew the boys got injured. |
| B．Because the boys returned to the campsite with wounds. |
| C．Because they needed water and food. |
| D．Because the boys did not return to the campsite that evening. |
| A．Jeremy gave Ian his food and water. |
| B．Jeremy let Ian lie on his jacket so he would be more comfortable. |
| C．Jeremy left Ian alone to find some help. |
| D．Jeremy used his jacket and an extra shirt to keep Ian warm. |
| A．Four hours. | B．One night. |
| C．Two days. | D．About 24 hours. |
4 . One day, Amanda was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer of an early stage. During this time, she was admitted to a college. She planned to save money to meet the college expense and then seek medical treatment for the cancer.
Her father, Clint and her friends didn’t want her to put off her treatment due to the expense. They took matters into their own hands and started a GoFundMe campaign. A longtime friend of the family was cofounder of a group named Praynksters, known for random acts of kindness. The friend decided to use their own group to help the family. The group came up with the creative idea to spread the word and invite families, friends, and strangers who wanted to help to take part in a donation activity. The event induced the enormous assistance from the local community.
Clint and Amanda were moved as the crowd passed by and the donations poured in. The event brought the family over $13, 000 in donations to go towards her medical treatments. The generous act of kindness gave the family a comforting, and optimistic feeling during a time when all hope seemed lost. Clint said that Amanda struggled with the idea of asking for help. She felt guilty and undeserving compared to others who are also struggling. She is still humbled by it all.
After several months of treatment, life for the family has started getting back to their normal routine. Once Amanda got her strength back, she returned to school and completed her bachelor's degree. The family is now inspired to volunteer in their local neighborhood and contribute to crowdfunding (众筹) efforts. They are grateful for the opportunity to give back and help others as many have helped them.
1. Why did Amanda postpone her treatment of cancer?| A．She didn't care about her disease. |
| B．She had to take care of her family. |
| C．She was in a bad economic situation. |
| D．She couldn’t find an effective treatment. |
| A．Brought about. | B．Made up. |
| C．Gave away. | D．Set about. |
| A．Shameful but caring. |
| B．Kind-hearted and grateful. |
| C．Curious and warm-hearted. |
| D．Hard- working and humorous. |
| A．It's quite easy to cure Amanda’s cancer. |
| B．Praynksters is a nonprofit organization funded by Clint. |
| C．Volunteering is very popular in Amanda's community. |
| D．A GoFundMe campaign is actually a crowdfunding activity. |
5 . When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Doctor Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard, but was always very kind.
When Doctor Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. He had some interesting theories about planting trees. He hardly watered his new trees, an attitude which flew in the face of conventional wisdom.
Once I asked why and he told me that watering plants spoiled them because it made them grow weaker. He said he had to make things tough for the trees so that only the strongest could survive. He talked about how watering trees made them develop shallow roots and how, if they were not watered, trees would grow deep roots in search of water.
So, instead of watering his trees every morning, he’d beat them with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the trees’ attention.
Doctor Gibbs died a couple of years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I'd watched him plant some 25 years ago. They were tall and strong.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I often pray that their lives will be easy. But lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to encounter hardship. There’s always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won’t be torn apart.
1. What did the author think of Doctor Gibbs’s planting trees at first?| A．Perfect . | B．Puzzled. |
| C．Amused. | D．Impractical . |
| A．He let them grow quickly. |
| B．He beat them to get their attention. |
| C．He helped them search for water. |
| D．He read a newspaper near them. |
| A．Kind and wise. | B．Calm and brave. |
| C．Careful and ambitious | D．Strict and devoted. |
| A．Elders are treasures. |
| B．Two heads are better than one. |
| C．A man without distant care must have near sorrow. |
| D．Only those who bear the most become the highest. |
6 . My old professor’s death sentence came in the summer of 1994. Doctors guessed he had two years left. Morrie knew it was less. But he had made a big decision, one he began to construct the day he came out of the doctor’s office with a sword hanging over his head. He would make death his final project. Since everyone was going to die, he could be of great value, right? He could be researched. Morrie would walk that final bridge between life and death, and record the trip.
The last class of my old professor’s life had only one student. I was the student. The class met on Tuesdays. The subject was “The Meaning of life”. It was taught from experience. No grades were given, but there were oral exams each week. You were expected to respond to questions, and you were expected to raise questions of your own. You were also required to perform physical tasks now and then, such as lifting the professor’s head to a comfortable spot on the pillow or placing his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Kissing him goodbye earned you extra credits. No books were required, yet many topics were covered, including love, work, community, family, aging, forgiveness, and finally, death.
I look back sometimes at the person I was before I rediscovered my old professor. I want to talk to that person. I want to tell him to be more open, to pay attention when your loved ones are speaking, as if it were the last time you might hear them. None of us can undo what we’ve done, or relive a life already recorded. But if Morrie taught me anything at all, it was this: there is no such thing as “too late” in life. He was changing until the day he said goodbye.
1. What can be learned about Morrie from Paragraph 1?| A．He was sentenced to death by the court. |
| B．He decided to face death positively. |
| C．He left the doctor’s office with a sword. |
| D．He decided to travel and record the trip. |
| A．Many students attended it. |
| B．Kissing the teacher was required. |
| C．Different aspects of life were involved. |
| D．Grades were given after each oral exam. |
| A．The person “I” used to be. | B．A loved person. |
| C．The professor. | D．A student. |
| A．To introduce an unforgettable class. |
| B．To encourage people to accept death. |
| C．To stress a teacher’s great influence. |
| D．To educate readers to treat teachers sincerely. |
7 . Najib is an Afghan who grew up in Iran. He led a tough life. When he found his children would be in the same situation, his family initially returned to Afghanistan. But with the country filled with conflicts, they decided to leave for Indonesia.
“When we first came here, we were in a bad situation. Its language, culture and even weather were different. We had moved away from friends and family,” says Najib. “I was in a tough position but I acted strong because there were no other choices.”
Refugees (难民) cannot work in Indonesia and there are limited choices for refugee children to attend local schools. Determined to avoid such a fate, a group of refugees in Puncak took action and scraped together (东拼西凑) their resources to set up a school—the Refugee Learning Center (RLC).
“Our only goal and task is to provide basic education, and prepare the refugee children for their future,” says Abdullah Sarwari. “We’re also trying to provide a normal life as much as possible for them.”
The RLC has also started offering Bahasa Indonesia classes to the refugee community. “Between the refugee and the local community, I feel like there’s a language barrier which stops the refugee from having an honest and open interaction with Indonesians,” says Abdullah.
“If you try your best, to learn the language of a particular place or country, it really helps make things easier,” says Najib. He is among those who signed up for classes, although he admits progress has been slow. But life has improved in some ways for him and his family.
Najib says, “The centre is an opportunity for refugee to show that they are not a burden. If they have the opportunity, they can accomplish big and great things like this.”
1. Why did Najib decide to leave for Indonesia?| A．To escape the conflict in Afghanistan. |
| B．To experience Indonesian culture. |
| C．To help refugees in Indonesia. |
| D．To get equal rights to vote. |
| A．To help them learn English. |
| B．To make them stay away from bad luck. |
| C．To provide them with chances to live in Indonesia. |
| D．To make them have access to receiving basic education. |
| A．He is the leader of refugees. |
| B．He founded the RLC himself. |
| C．He studies Indonesian in the RLC. |
| D．He lives a wealthy life in Indonesia. |
| A．The Goal of Founding a School |
| B．A School for Refugees by Refugees |
| C．A Reason for Leaving for Indonesia |
| D．The Benefit of Learning a New Language |
8 . Five years ago, as a new nurse working at night-time at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut, Kelly Depanfills stopped to chat with one of her favorite patients, a middle-aged man with leukemia, a type of blood disease. He was in the hospital for treatment, but what he really hoped for was a bone marrow (骨髓) transplant. He talked about “Be The Match”, a foundation that connects patients with donors. “It made me want to see if I matched with anyone,” Depanfills says. “He said, ‘Well, get on there!’”
Depanfills was shocked at how simple “getting on there” turned out to be: all she had to do was sign up and swab (拭抹) her cheek. She just didn’t imagine she’d get the chance so quickly. Not long after being swabbed, Depanfills got a call about a possible recipient (接受者): a 6-month-old boy born without an immune system — meaning one cold could become life-threatening. Within six months, she was checked in to the hospital as his no-named transplant donor.
After the operation, she was told the recovery time was 20 days and could include pain and tiredness, but she had only some soreness. “Honestly, the next day, I went out shopping,” she says. The boy who received her bone marrow cells is now recovering well and able to run around the playground like other kids.
Depanfills was so energized by the experience that she started volunteering at registry events, and last year she started her own at Norwalk Hospital. “One couple drove 45 minutes just to get swabbed,” she says. In a single day, about 50 hoping to be donors signed up. Every year there are 20,000 people who might benefit from a bone marrow transplant. “When you say such things, people get nervous,” Depanfills says. “But I want everyone to know how easy giving this gift can be.”
1. The function of “Be the match” is to_____.| A．link donors with recipients. | B．perform transplant operations |
| C．improve patients’ immune system | D．raise money for Norwalk Hospital |
| A．She cured a middle-aged man. |
| B．She was saved by “Be the match”. |
| C．Her signing up for the donation was hard. |
| D．Her name was unknown to the recipient. |
| A．the usual recovery time is less than 20 days |
| B．many people are inspired by Depanfills’ action |
| C．the recipient is normally free of pain and tiredness |
| D．there are 20,000 people every year waiting for donations |
| A．A Non-profit Project | B．A Cure for a Blood Disease |
| C．A Marrow Transplant Operation | D．A Caring and Can-do Donor |
9 . In a post on Love What Matters, Hanss Mujica, 24, explains how he surprised his family by announcing he’d be graduating from college.
Mujica says he wasn’t a hard-working student in high school, but was able to pass his classes. “ In high school, teachers are always on top of you to see if you turned in your work or if you read the assigned book,” Mujica writes on the post. But when he went to college, that wasn’t the case.
“Professors tell you the work that needs to get done and it is up to you to decide if you want to do it or not. After all you are the ones that are paying to be there. That, I believe, was my downfall as a college student. My behavior caused me to be suspended(被暂时停学)from the university.”
Mujica says that at that time, he had a 1.47 grade point average. “When my parents got the news, the looks on their faces completely broke my heart.”
Then Mujica explains how he got his schooling back on track: he went in with a different attitude, applied himself, and worked at a company to pay for school.
“Since I was suspended from the university, my federal aid was suspended as well. I was paying out of pocket and it got to the point where I had to get emergency loans(贷款) from the university. Summer 2015 came by and I could not pay back the loans so I was dropped from my fall 2015 courses. I got out another year from the university and in summer of 2016 I decided to work upstate(在州的乡野地区) to raise the money I needed.
Fortunately, with help from the university dance program and the money he earned at work, Mujica returned to school in fall 2016.
In 2018, Mujica was ready to graduate. He left his parents a letter and two tickets for graduation to surprise them with. “I spent six years in and out of the university but seeing the reactions on their faces was worth every sleepless night,”says Mujica.
1. What do we know about Mujica from the first two paragraphs?| A．He couldn’t adapt to the college life. |
| B．He used to be a good high school student. |
| C．He has finally become a college graduate. |
| D．He was sometimes ignored by his teachers. |
| A．Too much pressure. | B．His wrong attitude. |
| C．Bad scores at high school. | D．Lack of professors’ instruction. |
| A．How he paid back the loans in 2015. |
| B．Why he decided to refuse his federal aid. |
| C．How he got emergency loans from the university. |
| D．Why he was dropped from the university for another year. |
| A．24-year-old finally wins his parents’ support. |
| B．Six-year college life puts Mujica under pressure. |
| C．College student surprises parents with the graduation. |
| D．A moving story on Love What Matters attracts attention. |
10 . Three years ago I worked for a few weeks as a doctor in a new dental clinic (牙科诊所) at Victor Harbor, to the south of Adelaide and an hour further away than my usual workplace. My first day there was a rush — driving to a new clinic and getting used to the clinical environment.
As it was all new to me, I took off my rings: my wedding ring, and one that was an anniversary (周年纪念日) gift from my husband. I put them in a tissue (纸巾) and placed them beside my computer. During my lunch break, I noticed the tissue and thought that it did not look very clean and threw it into the rubbish bin. I went about my work and my day went well; I met new patients and felt that I had been productive.
Driving home at the end of the day, just moments before I reached my house, I noticed that my rings were missing. I felt the heat in my body rise, my cheeks (脸颊) burning red. I felt sick to my stomach.
I spent an hour or so making calls, trying to find my rings. The first people I called were my manager and clinical leader and they gave me a few phone numbers for cleaners. I got in touch with a lady who managed the cleaning services for the clinic, and she told me that the bins had already been collected.
I knew nothing could be done now. I had lost my rings. But after two or so hours, I received the most amazing phone call. The cleaner had gone through the bins and found my rings! I was so thankful to her, someone who had taken the trouble to go through the bins — which is not a pleasant task — to find my priceless rings.
I worked at that clinic the following day, so I bought chocolates to thank this wonderful person. Unfortunately I did not get to meet her as she was not at work that day.
1. What can we say about the author’s first day at the clinic?| A．Busy but fruitful. | B．Relaxing and good. |
| C．Tiring and boring. | D．Disorganized but special. |
| A．She made mistakes during work. |
| B．She received a gift from her husband. |
| C．She failed to finish her work in time. |
| D．She threw her rings away carelessly. |
| A．Thankful. | B．Surprised. |
| C．Heartbroken. | D．Frightened. |
| A．Smiles brighten people up. |
| B．Strangers are usually of little help. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| D．An act of kindness can mean a lot. |
