1 . A little girl ran to her bedroom and pulled out her piggy bank (储蓄罐) from a secret drawer in her closet. She took the change from it and counted it carefully three times.
She carefully placed the coins in a jar and twisted on the cap. She took the jar and slipped out of the back door. She made her way six blocks to a drug store. She waited patiently for the pharmacist (药剂师) to give her some attention but he was too busy attending other customers at that moment. She tried several times to get his attention but failed. Finally, she took a quarter from her jar and hit it on the glass counter, which was finally able to get her some attention.
“What do you want, little Miss?” the pharmacist asked the tiny girl in the front of his counter. “My brother is really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle,” the girl answered back. “I beg your pardon?” said the pharmacist. “My brother is really sick and my daddy says only a miracle can cure him now. So, I want to get a miracle for him. How much does it cost?” “I’m sorry but I can’t help you. We don’t sell miracles here, little girl,” the pharmacist said, softening a little.
Next to the little girl was a tall well-dressed man. He lowered himself and asked the little girl, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?” “I don’t know,” the girl replied with her eyes in tears. “I just know he is very sick and has something bad growing inside his head. Doctor says he needs an operation. But daddy can’t afford it, so we need a miracle to save him now. I can use all my money to save my brother.” “How much do you have?” asked the man. “One dollar and twelve cents, it’s all the money I have now, but I can get some more if needed,” the girl answered in a whisper. “Well, what a coincidence,” smiled the man. “That is the exact price of a miracle for a little brother. Take me to your brother. Let’s see if I have the miracle your brother needs.”
The man was a famous nuerosurgeon (神经外科医生). He was just the right person needed to save the little boy’s life. The operation was completed without any charges and it went successfully.
Her mommy wondered how much it would have cost. The little girl just smiled, but said nothing.
1. The girl took the money out of the piggy bank to ______.| A．keep it in her bank account | B．buy her brother a miracle |
| C．cover the debt at the drugstore | D．donate it to a needy child |
| A．To let off her steam. | B．To show off her wealth. |
| C．To get timely service. | D．To attract other customers. |
| A．Her father was embarrassed for lack of money. | B．Her brother suffered from head injuries. |
| C．She was confident in saving her brother. | D．He was ready to help the little girl. |
| A．considerate and honest | B．gentle and open-minded |
| C．brave and creative | D．kind and professional |
| A．The Price of a Miracle | B．A Special Day at the Drugstore |
| C．A Doctor with Kindness | D．The Survival of a Strong-willed Boy |
2 . He really did look like a tourist, with a camera around his neck and a bottle of sunscreen cream sticking out of his bag. The fat man sat on the terrace (平台), sipping lemonade and pretending to look at a tourism brochure. His sunglasses masked his eyes, but I knew he wasn’t looking at the brochure: he hadn’t turned a page for the last ten minutes. As I brought him his dishes, he coughed up a “thank you” and looked at me briefly. I tried not to stare at the tiny scar across his left eyebrow.
I walked back inside with my empty tray, shaking my head. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place him. Then it hit me — the car accident. The mysterious stranger who helped me out of my crashed car, just before it exploded. I rushed back to his table. He was gone.
I moved his saucer and found his tip, along with a card: I am deeply grateful to you. The night of your car accident, I was on my way to rob a jewelry store. Saving your life brought things back in a right way. I now live an honest life, thanks to you. Mr. D.
I shivered (震颤). The night of my car accident, I was heading for an interview in an illegal dance club. Seeing human kindness through his heroic gesture turned my life around and bought faith back into my life. I unfolded the tip he left. Among the singles was a grand (一千块) with a pen mark underlining “Thank you.” I said a silent prayer for him and got back to work, smiling.
1. Why did the fat man look like a tourist?| A．Because he used money not the same as the locals. |
| B．Because he carried what tourist usually have on. |
| C．Because he didn’t look like a native citizen. |
| D．Because he ordered strange food and drinks. |
| A．He was drinking all the time. | B．He sat still with his sunglasses. |
| C．The page remained unturned. | D．He was staring at the writer. |
| A．A mysterious stranger helped the author out of the crashed car. |
| B．The author helped a stranger escape from the crashed car. |
| C．A mysterious man robbed the author of a grand. |
| D．The author was interviewed for an illegal dance club. |
| A．They kept in touch with each other since then. |
| B．The author had been searching for the man. |
| C．The man became a rich man years later. |
| D．The author didn’t go to that interview. |
| A．Sympathetic. | B．Grateful. | C．Worried. | D．Trusty. |
3 . 阅读下面短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。
Luke has always been my closest companion these past five years. As you already know, there have been a lot of forest fires during the summer season. Many forests are badly damaged by fire each year. Not far from our shelter, a forest caught fire during this hot summer. We are on July, a heat wave which has been going on for three days.
Luke rushed towards the forest where flames send out a fierce heat. There’s no longer any hope at the moment to wait for Luke to come back to the shelter. In fact, I was waiting for the fire brigade(消防队) to announce me his death in the forest. Suddenly, a fireman burst into my office and informed me that my dog Luke succeeded to save four kittens who were trapped by the flames. According to the fireman, Luke seized the kittens, one by one moving them to a safe place.
I immediately accompanied the fireman to the forest to pick up the rescued kittens. Once on the scene of the incident, Luke was not there. Then we heard the sound of a dog came from the forest barking. I recognized the sound of my dog Luke. The firemen followed the tracks of the dog until they found him barking loudly by the side of an injured fireman who was lying on the ground and desperately waiting for rescue.
Thanks to Luke, four kittens and a fireman were saved. That day, I was very proud of Luke for his two heroic actions. Luke showed much compassion for both animals like him and for a human being who was trying to put out the fire with his colleagues. Truth to tell, my happiness is great and immeasurable.
I paid a visit to the fireman in his house accompanied with my lovely Luke. What a memorable scene when the fireman hugged Luke tightly to his chest! “One thousand thanks, Luke, for saving my life,” the fireman said.
This true story of love and compassion shows us that pets are loving, caring and compassionate. We should love and protect them. Don’t belittle them. Little animals can make enormous things for humans.
1. What happened near the author’s shelter this summer? (no more than 10 words)
4 . Our house was across the street from a big hospital, so we rented our spare upstairs room to outpatients (门诊病人). One evening, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly sick-looking man.
His face looked terrible - it was swollen (肿胀的) and red. Yet his voice was pleasant. He told me that he came for treatment and that he’d been hunting for a spare room since noon. but no one would give him one. “I guess it’s my face. . . ”
For a moment, I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: “I’ll sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning. ”
The old man had a huge heart inside his tiny body. He told me that he fished for a living to support his daughter, his daughter’s five children and her disabled husband. He didn’t complain while telling me his story. He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease, which was seemingly a form of skin cancer.
The next morning, he said, “Can I come back and stay the next time I need treatment?” I told him he was welcome to come again.
On his next trip, as a gift, he brought a big fish and some large oysters (牡蛎). In the years that he stayed with us, there was never a time that he did not bring us gifts like these. My neighbor warmed me that I could lose potential renters by putting up the old man after he left the first morning.
Maybe we did lose renters once or twice. But if they had known him, perhaps their illnesses would have been easier to bear. I know our family will always be grateful to have known him. From him, we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude.
1. The author hesitated to answer at first, which suggests that _____.| A．he was frightened by what the man looked like |
| B．there were difficult neighbors to consider |
| C．he wondered how the man found him |
| D．there was no space for the man to stay |
| A．He could sleep on the porch. |
| B．He supported a large family. |
| C．He felt skin cancer wasn’t painful. |
| D．He complained about how others treated him. |
| A．The author truly appreciated the old man. |
| B．The author looked down on his neighbor. |
| C．The author was grateful for the neighbor’s warning. |
| D．The author was disappointed to lose potential renters. |
| A．Powerful | B．Talent | C．Possible | D．Ability. |
| A．A kind word is like a spring day. |
| B．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| C．Don’t judge a person by his appearance. |
| D．Don’t complain to the bad but be grateful to the good. |
5 . MINNEAPOLIS—A 13-year-old entrepreneur (企业家) who was reported for operating a hot dog stand outside his house without a license is still in business, thanks to Minnesota officials who could have shut it down.
The Minneapolis Department of Health received a complaint this summer about the hot dog stand that Jaequan Faulkner had set up outside his home. But instead of closing down the operation, officials decided to help. “We helped Jaequan become permitted and went through some food safety techniques and procedures with him so he could operate legally and safely,” said Minneapolis Health Department supervisor Ryan Krick. Besides, the staff of health department raised the money for his permit fee, which was $87.00. Daniel Huff, the environmental health director for the department, says his agency was excited to give him coaching for some business knowledge, instead of shutting down the operation.
Jaequan says he is supported widely. “I was actually kind of surprised at first, because usually I would have one person at a time help me, but then so many people came at once. Now I realize how much people enjoy it, ” he added.
Jaequan began operating with a license on Monday. He started the hot dog stand with help from his uncle, who said Jaequan handles about 90 percent of the business. The teen now works four—hour days, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and spends his free time “thinking about what’s next.” Maybe a food cart, so he can take his operation on the road.
Jaequan said he’s also thinking about donating some of earnings to charities that help people with depression.
1. According to the passage, why was Jaequan complained?| A．Because he was too young. | B．Because he didn’t get the license. |
| C．Because he chose an improper location. | D．Because he sold some unhealthy foods. |
| A．offering advice on food security | B．helping him get the official permit |
| C．asking him to pay for the permit fee | D．coaching him for some business knowledge |
| A．Grateful. | B．Terrified. | C．Confused. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Leaving his business to his uncle. | B．Expanding his business to some extent. |
| C．Working full time on his hot dog stand. | D．Giving away all his earnings to the poor. |
| A．To inspire teenagers to establish their own career. |
| B．To call on people to donate their earnings to charities. |
| C．To inform people of a touching story in Minneapolis. |
| D．To persuade people to support Jaequan’s business. |
6 . Check out these stories of some animals.
The cat Homer
Homer the blind cat weighs only four pounds. Gwen Cooper adopted him when he was three weeks old. One night his growling (狂吠) wakes up Cooper, He’s never growled before. Surprised, Cooper opens her eyes. A burglar is standing at the foot of her bed! Cooper reaches for her phone to call 911.
“Don’t do that!” the burglar says. The sound of his voice shows his exact location, and blind Homer leaps. No match for a cat with sharp claws, the would-be robber flees.
The dog Geo
Geo follows 10-year-old Charlie Rilcy everywhere. One day Charlie, his mom, and two younger brothers are standing at a street corner. Geo is sitting at Charlie’s side. Suddenly, an out-of-control truck is heading straight for Charlie!
But Geo makes a flying leap. “He hits me so hard that I fall over,” Charlie says. The speeding truck hits Geo instead. Geo is rushed to the animal hospital.
The dog Teddy
It’s 3 a.m. in West Jordan, Utah. A mother and two children stand outside as firefighters hose (用软管浇) water on their burning house. “Is anybody inside?” the firemen ask.
The mom says no, because she feels certain that her older son escaped out the back. But just to be sure, Don Chase and his partner plunge (冲入) through the flames to look.
And what do they find? Teddy the pet dog standing by the door. Chase reaches for him, but Teddy runs down the basement stairs. Midway down, he stops and waits. But just as the firemen reach him, he takes off again. “I’m really maddened.”Chase says. “We’re wasting time chasing a dog when we should be searching for human victims.”
Then they see him — the older son, unconscious on a basement couch. Grabbing his legs and chest, the astonished firemen move him to safety, as Teddy runs behind.
1. How does Homer know where the burglar is?| A．Cooper shows him. | B．He sees the burglar. |
| C．Through the burglar’s voice. | D．Through the burglar’s actions. |
| A．interested | B．surprised | C．excited | D．annoyed |
| A．Real animal heroes | B．Funny stories about pets |
| C．How to take care of your pets? | D．Why arc dogs better pets than cats? |
It was a few years ago. A friend sent me a restaurant gift card for Christmas and I picked a pretty, sunny Sunday afternoon to use it. It felt good taking my two grown sons and daughter to a nice sit-down restaurant instead of the fast food places we usually ate at. The meal was delicious and we all had a good time. When the waitress brought the check, I looked down at it. The gift card covered almost all of it. I reached into my wallet to get enough cash to cover the rest. I saw two bills in my wallet. The first would cover the rest of the bill and give the waitress a nice tip. The second bill was much larger, so I reached down to pick out the first one.
At that moment, my mind flashed back to 30 years ago. I was working as a waiter in a restaurant much like the one we were in now. It was long hours of hard work for low pay. I went home just only making enough to feed my young family. I also remembered how more than once I saw the waitresses counting their meager tips while worrying about how they were going to pay the rent and buy their kids things they needed. I remembered the pain in their eyes and sadness in their faces at the end of the day.
I blinked (眨眼) and was back in the present again. My fingers touched the smaller bill in my wallet. I smiled, pushed it back down, and picked out the much larger bill. I folded it around the gift card and covered both of them with the check. As we all got up from the table, I handed them to the hard-working waitress. “You keep the change,” I said with a smile and a happy heart.
We are all one family in this world. We live together, laugh together, and suffer together. Do your best to be a good person and love others. Replace the suffering with joy.
1. Why did the author initially want to use the first bill to pay? (no more than 15 words)2. How do you understand the underlined word in Paragraph 2? (no more than 5 words)
3. What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about? (no more than 10 words)
4. Which word would you use to describe the author’s personality or character? (1 word)
5. What can you learn from the story? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)
8 . I was scared when a loud noise in my apartment woke me in the middle of the night. I rushed to turn on my bedroom light and discovered it was a cat. Here’s the thing — I do not have a cat. And this was not the first time this particular cat had demanded my attention. I immediately calmed down and realized my mistake — I had left a window open. I approached my house guest to entertain her by giving her some treats and scratches under her collar.
Just like many others, I shifted from working in an office to working from home. Living alone can be separate from outside at the best of times. It was around the one-month mark of the lockdown when I heard a meow outside my window. Sitting outside on the grass was a long-haired, golden-colored cat. I opened the window, and this beautiful cat jumped into my home. Her short visit lifted my spirits for the day.
A few days later, I heard a familiar meow. I saw a name tag on her collar: Mika. On this second visit, I also noticed Mika was cross-eyed, which only made her more lovely.
Over the next few weeks, Mika would drop by occasionally. Sometimes, she only stayed for a few minutes; other times, she would wander around my apartment much longer. Each visit cheered me up. Mika even served as my social bridge, helping me connect with some new neighbors, who, as it turns out, had also received visits from her.
While the lockdown has been awful, I doubt I might not have ever met Mika if it had not happened. But perhaps she came by at this time because she sensed a need for connection on my part.
While dogs are said to be man’s best friend, a good cat can be everyone’s best friend.
1. What do we know about the cat from the first paragraph?| A．She entered by the window. |
| B．She used to go out at night. |
| C．She annoyed the neighbors badly. |
| D．She liked the author’s treats particularly. |
| A．Moved. | B．Cheerful. | C．Lonely. | D．Angry. |
| A．By bringing food. |
| B．By serving as a social bridge. |
| C．By keeping the house clean. |
| D．By protecting him from dangers. |
| A．The open window. | B．The lockdown. |
| C．A need for connection. | D．A stay with new neighbors. |
| A．The author lives an unusual life. | B．The author longs for a peaceful society. |
| C．Keeping cats is boring. | D．Befriending nice cats is worthwhile. |
9 . One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap (包装).
On September 11th, 1958, Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is.” What an honour! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it.Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”, “pitiful”, and “dying”, which sounded ominous.
Christmas was coming. “Don’t expect any presents this year,” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room.“If your baby brother lives, that’ll be Christmas enough.” As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I’d never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He’s all right?” He hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we can bring Richard home!”
“Thank God!” I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!
1. What happened to the author on September 11th, 1958?| A．He got a baby brother. |
| B．He got a Christmas gift. |
| C．He became four years old. |
| D．He received a doll. |
| A．Impossible. | B．Boring. |
| C．Difficult. | D．Fearful. |
| A．Excitement. | B．Happiness. |
| C．Sadness. | D．Disappointment. |
| A．A sad Christmas day. |
| B．Life with a lovely baby. |
| C．A special Christmas gift. |
| D．Memories of a happy family. |
10 . He had been on a long flight. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: “Fasten your seatbelts.”
Then, after a while, a calm voice said, “We shall not be serving the drinks at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence (气流). Please be sure your seatbelt is fastened.” she looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming nervous.
Later, the voice of the announcer said, “We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us.
And then the storm broke out. The terrible thunder could be heard even above the sound of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies and within moments that great plane was like a leather thrown around on a vast ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on great current so fair, the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.
The man admitted that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, “As I looked around the plane. I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying.”
“The future seemed terrible and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm. And then, I suddenly saw a girl to whom the storm meant nothing. She just sat on her seat and was reading a book. Everything within her small world calm.
Sometimes she closed her eyes and then she would read again. She would straighten her legs but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being hit by the terrible storm, when it shook this way and that way, when it rose and fell so severely, and when all the adults were scared half to death, that unusual child was completely composed and unafraid.”
The man could hardly believe his eyes. It was not surprising, therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying off board he asked the girl why she had not been afraid. The sweet child replied, “Sir, my dad is the pilot and he is taking me home.’’
1. What happened while he was taking the flight?| A．A Passenger was scared to death | B．The plane met a turbulence |
| C．A girl became deaf in the plane | D．Drinks and food ran out |
| A．they were too afraid | B．they wanted to be happy |
| C．God asked them to | D．they were warned to |
| A．clever | B．health | C．strong | D．calm |
a. She closed her eyes b. She straightened her legs
c. She went on reading d. She sat on her seat reading
| A．a-d-b-c | B．d-c-a-b | C．d-a-c-b | D．a-b-c-d |
| A．Confidence | B．Determination | C．Behavior | D．Destination |
