1 . A man on a cruise ship (游轮) noticed there was an elderly lady all alone, and the staff on the ship all knew her. Curious, he asked a waiter about the lady, half-expecting to hear that she owned the cruise line. However, all the waiter knew was that she had been on the last four cruises, back to back.
As he left the dining room one evening, he caught her eye and stopped to say hello. He asked, “I understand you’ve been on this ship for the last four cruises.” She replied, “Yes, that’s true.” “I don’t understand,” he said.
Without waiting, she replied, “It’s cheaper than a nursing home. The cost for a nursing home is at least $200 a day. Here on the cruise, I can get a long-term discount price of $135 a day. That leaves $65 a day for extra. I can enjoy up to 10 meals a day of fantastic food through room service. There are also free pools, an exercise room and nightly shows. Clean daily necessities are provided every day, without needing to ask. They treat you like a valued customer, not just a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have all the staff happy to help you.”
“I have the chance to meet new people every 7 or 14 days! Is the TV broken? Need to change a light bulb? No problem! They will fix everything soon and say sorry for the problems. There is always a doctor on board. This is how I want to spend the later years of my life.”
1. Why was the man curious about the elderly lady on the cruise ship?| A．He thought she was the captain of the cruise line. |
| B．He noticed she was alone but well-known on the ship. |
| C．He wanted to interview her about her daily life. |
| D．He saw she had taken the cruise ship four times. |
| A．She preferred cruising over flying. |
| B．She enjoyed working with the staff. |
| C．She thought it was more affordable. |
| D．She liked traveling to different countries. |
| A．The availability of 24-hour room service. |
| B．The opportunity to meet new people. |
| C．A discounted rate for long-term stays. |
| D．Access to onboard entertainment and activities. |
| A．The staff on the cruise ship were very friendly. |
| B．The cruise ship offered better medical care when needed. |
| C．The money could make the staff kindly and considerately. |
| D．The staff on the cruise ship were very patient. |
| A．She preferred a quiet environment. |
| B．She was not good at managing money. |
| C．She didn’t like meeting too many new people. |
| D．She hoped to live the rest of her life with respect. |
In the fall of 1985, I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated (毕业) from college at the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to give up college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted (收养) and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic — and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8. Our home was a complete zoo — a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream, either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant taking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember: Little steps add up to big dreams.
1. Why did the author give up her education when she was young?(no more than 10 words)2. What prevented her going back to college full time?(no more than 10 words)
3. For what reason did the author insist on having a college education?(no more than 10 words)
4. The underlined word “occupied” in Paragraph 4 probably means ______.(no more than 5 words)
5. According to this passage, how would you deal with a challenge if you were faced with one?(no more than 10 words)
3 . Recently, a video story has spread among people.
James Anthony has cleaned the halls of Hickerson Primary School for 15 years. Although he is deaf, he never complains. Instead, he greets every child and teacher with a smile. Teachers and children love him very much and call him Mr. James.
On the day Anthony turned 60, the school wanted to give him a very special surprise. That day when Anthony walked into a classroom a group of children start to sign and sing “Happy Birthday” to him. Anthony stated smiling as usual. Then his jaw dropped open and he laughed for joy as he realized what was going on. A few teachers sled the kids through the whole song as Anthony watched. A wide smile was on his face. As they finished, tears came out from his eyes.
Scott, secretary of the school said, “The children love and respect Mr. James. They give him high fives in the halls, and he even teaches them sign language. Today he has put smiles on faces all around the world.”
1. James Anthony is ____.| A．a cleaner | B．a student | C．a secretary | D．a guard |
| A．On his fifteenth birthday. | B．On his fiftieth birthday. |
| C．On his sixtieth birthday. | D．On his sixteenth birthday. |
| A．Because he lost his job. | B．Because he was deeply moved. |
| C．Because the kids didn’t like him. | D．Because he couldn’t hear the kids. |
| A．Anthony used to be a good teacher. |
| B．the kids love and respect Mr. James. |
| C．the kids often help Anthony clean the halls. |
| D．Anthony always greets the kids and teachers by singing songs. |
| A．A Famous Teacher | B．Lovely Kids |
| C．A Special Birthday Gift | D．An American School |
4 . A Narrow Escape
Shortly after the war, my brother and I were invited to spend a few days’ holiday with an uncle who had just returned from abroad. He had rented a cottage in the country, although he hardly spent much time there. We understood the reason for this after our arrival: the cottage had no comfortable furniture in it. Many of the windows were broken and the roof leaked (漏水), making the whole house wet.
On our first evening, we sat around the fire after supper listening to the stories our uncle told of his many adventures in distant countries. I was so tired after the long train journey that I would have preferred to go to bed; but I could not bear to miss any of my uncle’s exciting stories. He was just in the middle of describing a rather terrifying experience he had once had when there was a loud crash from the bedroom above, the one where my brother and I were going to sleep.
When we got to the top of the stairs and opened the bedroom door, a strange sight met our eyes. A large part of the ceiling had fallen right on to the pillow of my bed.
1. The uncle disliked the rented cottage for the reason that________.| A．there were no beds in it |
| B．the windows were broken and the roof leaked |
| C．it was too old for him to live in |
| D．it was very rainy in the area |
| A．but he did his best not to miss any stories |
| B．so he had to go to bed early |
| C．because he was tired of his uncle’s stories |
| D．and he was gradually falling asleep while listening |
| A．which his uncle read in a book |
| B．which was very funny |
| C．when his brother cried for being afraid |
| D．when he heard a loud crash from the bedroom |
| A．his uncle would have stopped telling stories |
| B．his uncle would have been very sorry |
| C．he would have been injured or killed |
| D．his brother wouldn’t have been, either |
| A．A person runs away from a danger through a narrow door. |
| B．A person escapes a danger by luck. |
| C．A person escapes a danger easily. |
| D．A person runs away from a danger easily. |
5 . At the age of 17 years 64 days, Mack Rutherford has become the youngest person to fly around the world alone! Mack’s journey around the world lasted five months and he flew across 52 countries in total. His record-breaking flight began in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, on 23 March, 2022. He was 16 years old when he took off and celebrated his 17th birthday by himself in his plane.
Mack faced many challenges during his adventure. Because of his small-sized aircraft, he had to land whenever the weather got too rough. However, at some points he literally couldn’t land, such as when flying non-stop for 10 hours over an ocean. At other points, he faced extremely hot weather, such as in Dubai. In Sudan, a country in Africa, Mack also faced sandstorms which made it hard for him to see where he was going. Mack battled strong winds and pouring rain during his flight, but he never stopped smiling, joking and updating his flowers on his social media account along the way, and managed to expertly pilot his plane to safety.
And if Mack’s surname “Rutherford” sounds familiar, it’s because his elder sister Zara also flew around the world earlier this year, and still holds the female version of the record! The Rutherford siblings (兄弟姐妹) were inspired by their parents to become pilots. “I have known for certain I wanted to fly since I was eleven,” Mack said, “My dad Sam is a professional ferry pilot, my mum Beatrice is a recreational (娱乐的) private pilot.”
Mack hopes to inspire young people to begin working towards their own goals, “No matter what background you have, I believe it is never too early to work towards your dreams and you shouldn’t limit yourself by others’ expectations.” With both feet firmly back on the ground now, it’s time for Mack to turn his attention towards catching up on his schoolwork!
1. What can we know about Mack’s flight?| A．It began when he was 17 years 64 days old. |
| B．It made him the youngest person to fly alone. |
| C．It was a successful record-breaking attempt. |
| D．It took off in the capital of his home country. |
| A．Limitation of flight hours. |
| B．Darkness and safety issues. |
| C．Loneliness of flying alone. |
| D．Bad weather and long distance. |
| A．To be inspired by their parents. |
| B．To encourage each other to dream big. |
| C．To serve as examples for their siblings. |
| D．To live up to their parents’ expectations. |
| A．To encourage young people to become pilots. |
| B．To inspire young people to fight for their dreams. |
| C．To warn young people of the dangers of flying. |
| D．To free young people of worries about school work. |
| A．He will start a new journey to other place. |
| B．He will help young people to dream big. |
| C．He will work towards his another dream. |
| D．He will focus on his schoolwork. |
6 . It was the middle of winter some 30 years ago. I was a young father with three little children counting on me. I worked in a sawmill (锯木厂).
As I got ready to go to work I wrapped band aids around my fingers and put more in my pockets. Cutting and piling up wood for eight hours a day had caused my fingers to split (裂开) and bleed at their tips in the cold, dry winter air.
That day at work was harder than normal. We were short-handed on workers. The machines kept breaking down. We had to rush to catch up as the wood piled up. On top of that, all the heaters in the building had stopped working and we could see our breath as we spent hours working there.
When the work day finally ended, I walked wearily toward the washroom, took off my work gloves, and checked my aching fingers. The splits were worse than ever and I had bled through the band - aids again. I felt so tired. I wondered how long I could keep doing this, if things would ever get any better, and why life was so hard.
After driving home, I tried to put a smile on my face as I opened the front door. But instead, one appeared naturally. My daughter ran up to me, yelled “Daddy!” and wrapped her little arms around my neck. I lifted her up and my heart filled with love. My tired body didn’t feel so tired anymore. My aches and pains disappeared into her hug, And the joy in my heart chased the sadness away. At that moment I kissed my little girl’s cheek and held her tight. I knew I could continue and that things would get better.
1. What was the author’s situation 30 years ago?| A．He was young man teaching students. | B．He was a retired person owning a sawmill. |
| C．He worked in a factory as an accountant. | D．He had a heavy burden of raising children. |
| A．There were not enough workers. | B．Workers that day were not tall enough. |
| C．All the heaters had stopped working. | D．The machines stopped working repeatedly. |
| A．he was very tired | B．he felt very relieved |
| C．he wore heavy clothes | D．he was walking up and down |
| A．a face | B．a smile | C．the door | D．his daughter |
| A．family can give us support | B．labor work is not that hard |
| C．it is better to have just one kid | D．it is important for kids to study hard |
7 . Lena could clearly remember the night she had to flee her home in Hungary. It was the beginning of the Second World War and her family needed to escape fast. She quickly packed a suitcase with a few pieces of clothing, her diary, and her most prized possession — a beautiful silk scarf. Lena and her best friend, Monika, had persuaded their parents to buy them matching scarves, which they each wore tied around their neck as a symbol of their friendship. Lena had no idea that when she left for America that night, she would never return. Her family settled on the sunny west coast in California.
Lena kept that special silk scarf for many years. One day she decided to give it to her granddaughter, Eliza, to wear to her first job interview for good luck. Lena was afraid that Eliza would lose the scarf, but her granddaughter reassured her, “Don’t worry, Grandma, nothing’s going to happen to your scarf. You’ll see. It is going to bring both of us luck today.” With that, Eliza kissed her grandmother on the cheek and left.
That afternoon, Eliza left the interview feeling confident that she had got the job. She decided to celebrate by going to a restaurant. As she sat at her table, she felt someone staring at her. Sitting next to her was an elderly woman who could not take her eyes off her. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?” Eliza asked.
“I’m sorry, dear, but you remind me of someone I once knew,” the old woman replied in an accented voice. “My best friend looked like you and used to wear a scarf just like the one you’re wearing around your neck.” Eliza felt goose bumps go up her arms. She had heard stories of her grandmother’s best friend and knew the significance of the scarf. Could this be Monika, her grandmother’s childhood friend?
Eliza introduced herself and waited to hear the name of the other woman. “My name is Monika, dear. I’m originally from Hungary, but my family had to leave when I was 14 and I’ve been living here in California ever since.” Eliza could not believe it. She said, “Monika, would you mind going somewhere with me? I want to show you someone very special.” The elderly woman agreed and they left the restaurant together.
They walked the short distance to Lena’s home and rang the doorbell. When Lena opened the door, she was amazed to see her childhood friend standing in front of her. The scarf had indeed brought good luck.
1. Why did Lena and her family leave Hungary?| A．Because they intended to make a fortune in America. |
| B．Because they preferred to live on the sunny coast. |
| C．Because it was dangerous in their home at the war time. |
| D．Because they wanted to follow her best friend, Monika. |
| A．Eliza went to the restaurant to meet Monika. | B．Lena cherished the silk scarf very much. |
| C．A silk scarf is a symbol of good luck. | D．Eliza celebrated with Lena in a restaurant. |
| A．the stranger’s stare made her scared |
| B．she got cold when she took the scarf off |
| C．she thought the old woman’s accent was too strange |
| D．she couldn’t believe she should meet her grandma’s childhood friend |
a. Eliza wore the silk scarf to the interview. b. Lena’s parents bought her a silk scarf.
c. Eliza went to a restaurant for celebration. d. Lena met her childhood friend.
e. Lena fled her home in hurry. f. Eliza unexpectedly met Monika.
| A．b-e-a-c-f-d | B．e-b-a-f-c-d | C．e-d-b-a-c-f | D．b-e-a-f-c-d |
| A．Reunion in California. | B．The Lucky Silk Scarf. |
| C．A Life-long Friendship. | D．Like Grandmother Like Granddaughter. |
When Marco was a boy, he tried everything to get his father’s love and attention. He worked hard to earn exceptional marks; he chose inspiring friends and always tried to behave well.
At the age of eight his parents divorced, and Marco and his young sister Sandra moved in with their dad. It felt to Marco that his father had little time for him and Sandra. Marco sank further into his low self-esteem and was overwhelmed with feeling desperately unappreciated, alone and isolated.
One day his father, already tired after a long day, tripped over Marco’s bike in the garage. The fierce fight that followed left Marco feeling humiliated (羞辱). It seemed no matter how hard he tried he could never do anything right.
Two days later, his aunt Ginette called him. She said she had just seen some young teenagers participate in a public speaking contest called Gala Personnalite sponsored by Club Optimiste. She thought he should give it a try. She told him she firmly believed he could perform on stage like the other kids, since she had seen him do humorous performances for the family at Christmas. Feeling her strong belief, Marco agreed to enter the contest.
All that winter of 1980 to 1981, he practiced in Ville d’Anjou, where the competition would take place. The hours and the obstacles no longer counted. The criticism from his father didn’t matter. Four. months later, the big night arrived. His mother, his sister, his grandmother, and his aunt Ginette, were all in the audience. Butterflies filled his stomach. But when he stepped onto the stage and began to speak, he felt totally at home. To his shock and amazement, he WON!
As I travel around the world to speak to thousands of people every year, I tell them Marco’s story. I tell them his story because it is my story.
It all happened because of a single phone call, from one single person who simply believed in me. Because of her, I have been able to more than fulfill my dreams. I’ve been able to inspire and to touch the lives of so many others—and help them fulfill theirs.
1. Why did Marco want to behave and do well academically? (no more than 10 words)2. What caused Marco to hold negative attitude towards himself? (no more than 10 words)
3. How did his aunt Ginette plan to do to change Marco? (no more than 15 words)
4. What does the underlined sentence probably mean in the 5th Paragraph? (no more than 5 words)
5. Who often gives you confidence to fulfill your dreams? What does he/she do? (no more than 20 words)
“Mom, look at this LEGO Star Wars set,” my eight-year-old son Nathan said. “Can I get it for my birthday?” I looked at the LEGO set in question.
“Nathan, this isn’t just a regular LEGO set. It’s an Advent calendar(降临历).” Seeing his questioning look, I explained, “An Advent calendar counts down the days until Christmas. Starting on December 1st, you open one box each day, and each box contains one small LEGO toy.”
“I want this really badly, Mom. Can I get it for my birthday?”
“Yes, but here’s the problem with that. It’s August right now, and your birthday is in September. If we bought this for your birthday, you couldn’t start opening the toys until December 1st. That would be a long time for you before playing with a new toy. Are you sure you want it?” He thought for a minute and said, “Yes, Mom, I really want that Advent calendar.” So we bought the calendar.
On Nathan’s birthday in mid-September, he received many presents, including the Advent calendar. He seemed as surprised and pleased with it as he did with other gifts that were actually a surprise. And then he started to open it.
“Remember that’s an Advent calendar. So we can’t open it yet.” His shoulders slumped(垂下来). “Oh, yeah, that’s right,” he said unwillingly.
We put the box in his closet. I hoped he’d forget about it, but that was wishful thinking.
“How many more days should I wait until I can start opening the toys in the calendar?” he asked the day after his birthday. I gave him a pocket calendar, and we counted how many days there were until December 1st.
After waiting for so long, it was December 1st finally. Nathan’s hands were practically shaking as he opened that first box. “I’m so glad I waited, Mom,” he told me.
People say that Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year. I know these complaints are about the over-commercialization of the holiday, and I see their point. But this year, Christmas came to our house very early, and it was so much fun.
1. What is an Advent calendar used to do? (no more than 10 words)2. Why was the author unwilling to buy the Advent calendar for Nathan at first? (no more than 12 words)
3. How can we understand the underlined sentence in Paragraph 7? (no more than 8 words)
4. Why do people say Christmas starts earlier and earlier? (no more than 10 words)
5. What do you think of Nathan’s birthday present? Why? (no more than 20 words)
10 . My best friend traveled to stay with our family last weekend. When she arrived, she went straight to the kitchen and, without asking, ate a spoonful of raspberry jam and some dried fruit. She wasn’t being rude. I knew she would do this. We’ve known each other for almost 20 years. She can eat anything she wants from my kitchen. Indeed, I bought her favorite fruits and snacks at the shop that morning.
Our long weekend together was luxuriously simple. I was recovering from surgery and couldn’t go to shopping malls. We passed the time running errands (做杂事), going to the post office and collecting dry cleaning. We drank away too many cappuccinos. But we talked about every little detail of our lives.
There’s never been a quiet moment in our friendship. We’ve lived in different cities for almost a decade. Reunions demand constant conversation. Our personalities are matched, to be sure, and a shared history is indescribably valuable. We were competitors in high school before bonding over a bad experience. Then we discovered the many interests that we had in common. Our friendship strengthened itself quickly. We stayed companions through law school, through our first jobs and our first boyfriends. We supported each other through break-ups and breakthroughs. Ours is a friendship for ages.
There is something special about friends who know everyone and everything about you. They are rare. These are the people you’ve chosen to witness your life. They have seen the bright lights of achievement, the depths of despair and the boring routine of the in-between.
It’s special to unpack feelings and frustrations without wasting time filling in the blanks. As my long weekend shows, with such friends we don’t have to “do”, we simply have to “be”. We drop the act, the performance, the public version of ourselves.
The special friendships are those which never fail to delight, the continuation of which is worth the extra effort, despite distance and difference sneaking (溜进) into your separate lives. I had the very great joy of this reminder last weekend. I’m lucky to have found this friend, to see a future where her companionship remains. Being together is perfection.
1. What happened during her best friend’s visit?| A．They enjoyed an eventful long weekend. |
| B．They talked constantly about their lives. |
| C．They made their favorite snacks and coffee. |
| D．They talked about recent news events. |
| A．they help each other deal with the boredom of life |
| B．they prefer to witness each other’s lives from far away |
| C．they try to show each other their best selves |
| D．they are comfortable just being themselves when together |
| A．Charm comes from difference. | B．Politeness brings best friends closer. |
| C．Good friendships need devotion. | D．Distance can separate good friends. |
| A．describe what her best friend is like | B．share the friendship she treasures |
| C．explore the key aspects of friendship | D．express thanks to her best friend |
| A．Light-hearted. | B．Humorous. | C．Serious. | D．Sentimental. |
