1 . While many local teens spent their summers playing by the pool, Shea Frenyea-Provost brought her talents to life, leaving a lasting memory for years to come.
After five weeks, the 15-year-old’s artwork is now on show in People’s Park for all to see as the Village of Dannemora’s first outdoor mural(壁画)-symbolic of the ongoing efforts to give new energy to the village and all it has to offer.
For the young artist，the project took her out of the comfort zone(舒适区)-going from colored pencils and sketchbooks(素描本)to her first life-size mural- the first in what will now become a series of projects between the local teen and village.
With her mom active in the village’s growing Beautification Committee, Shea also got involved with volunteering. After seeing Shea’s sketches during the early stages of the mural planning, Tina Leduc, director of Beautification Committee, was awed by her talent and knew she was a perfect fit for the project.
With the help of her family, Shea was soon set up with her very own studio, where she spent weeks researching the Luna moth(蛾)，observing its outline and perfecting each final detail. “I used a projector(投影仪)to observe the moth for weeks and researched native plants in our area and the rest I really ended up doing freehand,“ Shea said, pointing to the fine lines of the climbing grape plants and moth antennas(触角).
For the Beautification Committee and villagers alike, her work has brought a welcomed new addition to the park while clearly showing her bright artistic future ahead. “She’s just such a natural,” said Leduc, who offered beginning guidance, otherwise leaving the creativity and design to the promising young artist. “I feel this is just the beginning for her. I know it is. We’re going to see so much from her.”
1. What can we learn about Shea’s mural?| A．It is the first indoor mural in her village. |
| B．It shows the history of her village. |
| C．It took her a month to complete. |
| D．It was a real challenge for her. |
| A．Amazed | B．Encouraged |
| C．Changed | D．Affected |
| A．Creative and humorous. |
| B．Polite and generous. |
| C．Talented and patient. |
| D．Experienced and professional. |
| A．It will inspire more kids to do art. |
| B．It promises a bright future for her. |
| C．It will attract more foreign visitors to the village. |
| D．It raises the villagers’ awareness of environmental protection. |
2 . For years going home for the holidays has been bittersweet. I appreciate the opportunity to spend quality time with my mom but it is painful for me to see her house littered with stuff.Clothes bought but never worn, and new items in their original packaging carelessly purchased and never used. It’s evident that seeing the stuff on a daily basis reminds my mom of a time when shopping was her way of spending money.
I didn’t fully understand the extent to which my mom was suffering until this week, when I saw piles of clothes on her bed. “How do you manage to sleep every night with all that stuff, Mom?” I asked. To my horror, she replied, “I do it because I know I have to get rid of all this stuff eventually; I am punishing myself by sleeping with them until I do that. ”
Shocked and upset, I gently explained to her that punishing herself was only to make things worse,and that everybody deserves a place to sleep in peace, no matter what mistakes they’ve made. I suggested she move all the stuff upstairs, leaving her room comfortable to sleep in.
With patience and her slow but steady guidance, I helped her go through some of the piles and move them upstairs. For the rest of the week I stayed there, she was in a better mood and was excited about going through the rest of the house to finally get rid of her stuff—past mistakes and painful times. The items brought back painful memories as we inspected and moved them, but I kept reminding her that removing them would allow her to move on and heal. We finally sold so many things and took bag after bag to charity.
The stuff is just a sign of the destructive patterns of self-hatred on past mistakes. Only through the act of self-forgiveness can we bring about a chain reaction of reorganizing—both of the house and heart.
1. What made the author feel bitter?| A．She couldn’t understand her mom’s sorrows. |
| B．Her mom was stuck in the painful memories. |
| C．Her mom was always left alone at home. |
| D．Her mom wasted money on useless things. |
| A．getting rid of the stuff | B．buying the stuff |
| C．opening the stuff | D．moving the stuff |
| A．the author never bought her mom anything |
| B．the author’s mom has no money to purchase now |
| C．the author’s mom regrets buying so many things |
| D．the author knows her mom’s suffering only this week |
| A．How to do shopping wisely |
| B．Clearance helps reorganize the house |
| C．Keep an eye on the elderly’s behavior |
| D．Self-forgiveness makes a difference |
3 . A blind skateboarder has proven that his lack of sight won’t stop him from living a normal life—and now he’s learned some of the most complicated tricks.
Dan Mancina, 34,from Michigan,the US,was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at 13,a rare genetic disease and it causes loss of vision. Around five years ago,Dan lost his vision completely and now is defined as a blind person—but refuses to let it hold him back. Dan said that he was discouraged by other people’s behaviors and was determined to prove people wrong,so he started skateboarding,practiced every day,and soon he was landing trick after trick.
Dan started performing tricks that some might not expect a blind person to be able to do—like throwing darts(飞镖)—but they would be wrong. He said he felt a need to prove himself to those who doubted his abilities. So Dan,who has been skateboarding since he was seven years old,recently posted a video of himself performing a trick on the Internet.
The experience reminded him of his love for the sport and inspired him to continue pursuing his passion,but now his methods are somewhat different. Before skating at a park,Dan uses a stick to measure the different ramps(斜坡)and corners,and get a feel for the area. He also uses a beeper box or a Bluetooth speaker to bounce the sounds off anything in the environment—such as a nearby road—warning him of any dangers in the area.
The skateboarder said, “I get a mental map of the area where I am and use every other sense I have. I'm always trying to progress and keep pushing myself further and further. I have certain goals that I want to achieve. One day I want to film full-length skateboard videos without any cuts. That’s really my goal.”
1. What happened to Dan Mancina when he was thirteen?| A．He became completely blind. | B．He was not allowed to skateboard. |
| C．He suffered from a severe eye disease. | D．He got injured while skateboarding. |
| A．To show he could live a normal life. | B．To achieve his childhood dream. |
| C．To shoot a video about his success in life. | D．To become the focus of public attention. |
| A．Dan’s training field. | B．Dan’s passion for sport. |
| C．Dan’s training equipment. | D．Dan’s preparations for skateboarding. |
| A．He who laughs last laughs best. | B．All that ends well is well. |
| C．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. | D．A good beginning makes a good ending. |
4 . From her lifeguard station at the end of the pool, Jessica noticed clouds forming, the wind picking up and the sky darkening. The pool manager announced over the loudspeaker that the pool is closing immediately, asking everyone to head to the safety of home before the storm hit.
All the swimmers had left by 3 :30 except Jessica's neighbor, eight-year-old Zack. Zack's mother had planned to pick him up after work, but the storm was coming fast. Jessica decided to drop Zack off on her way home, She taped a note for Ms Hill on the door of the pool office and headed out.
The minute Jessica and Zack left the parking lot, it was clear that this was no ordinary storm. Jessica said, “Zack, I'm going to take you to my house. We need to get inside right away, and your house is farther away than mine." She pressed the garage-door opener, but nothing happened. The electricity was out. The front door was only a few feet away, but the wind was so strong that Jessica and Zack had to fight their way into the house. Jessica held Zack's hand firmly. The door was heavy with the pressure of the wind. Finally, it opened, but it was blown out of Jessica's hand and hit the side of the house. The window broke into pieces. Jessica picked up Zack and threw the two of them inside; her only thought was to get to a safe place.
Remembering everything she could from her emergency training, Jessica took Zack to the completely dark basement. Jessica held Zack's trembling hand tightly. Feeling their way with great caution, they sat down in a corner finally. Outside, the lightning flashed, the thunder roared, and the furious wind howled, which threatened to put the world to an end. Feeling overwhelmingly scared, little Zack burst into tears, saying, “I miss my mom." Jessica held him in her arms, saying, “Honey, don't be afraid! Everything will be all right.”
After a final crash, the sound of the storm grew distant. Jessica sighing with relief, the pair hugged each other and shed tears of excitement.
1. What does the underlined phrase "picking up" in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Getting stronger. | B．Whispering more softly |
| C．Weakening slightly. | D．Improving greatly |
| A．The boy's mother asked her to do so. |
| B．The boy preferred to stay at her house. |
| C．Jessica wanted to ensure the boy's safety. |
| D．Jessica believed her home was much safer. |
| A．Caring and calm. | B．Courageous and talented. |
| C．Confident and determined. | D．Creative and quick-thinking. |
| A．A Boy Witnessed a Strong Storm |
| B．A Storm Struck a Lifeguard Station |
| C．A Storm Caused Great Damage to an Area |
| D．A Lifeguard Helped a Boy Survive a Storm |
5 . 5-year-old boy Harvey Sutton just finished walking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail, one of the longest footpaths in the world. The 3,500-kilometer-long trail passes through 14 states in the eastern United States. Harvey and his parents, Josh and Cassie Sutton, completed the trip in 209 days.
It was hard work. But it was also fun. Harvey got to watch wild animals. He climbed over tall rocks. His parents tried hard to keep their little boy happy and excited. They had little time to pay attention to their own physical pain from walking so many kilometers. “It gave us a bond and a strength that we hadn’t realized before,” Cassie Sutton said.
Other young children have hiked the trail. Even some babies have travelled with their parents. Harvey was 4 years old when he and his parents began their walk in January. He turned 5 before the family completed the trip earlier this month in Maine. He is two years younger than “Buddy Backpacker,” a boy who once held the record for youngest person to complete the trail last May. But a little girl named Juniper Netteberg finished the trail at age four with her parents last October.
It may seem like an extreme activity for a child, but according to Dr. Laura Blaisdell, a children’s doctor and medical adviser to the American Camp Association, children are strong enough for the experience if parents attend to their child’s usual social and emotional development.
Josh Sutton said they met and talked with other hikers along the way, who started calling his son “Little Man,” early on the trip. Harvey’s new name spread quickly among hikers all along the Appalachian Trail. Karl Donus Sakas hiked with the family from Pennsylvania to the end of the trail in Maine. He helped the family prevent Harvey from boredom by creating a treasure hunt with maps. Little Man found hidden playthings and brightly lit sticks along the trail. At a Dollar General store, Harvey bought himself a calculator to keep track of all of the kilometers he had walked.
Harvey’s trip is going to change his life forever. The kid has gone through some hardships, and he is going to smile through life.
1. Who is the youngest ever finishing the trail?| A．Harvey Sutton. | B．Buddy Backpacker. |
| C．Juniper Netteberg. | D．A baby carried by its parents. |
| A．Harmful. | B．Appealing. |
| C．Demanding. | D．Acceptable. |
| A．By keeping Harvey amused. | B．By carrying heavy belongings. |
| C．By providing financial support. | D．By offering necessary equipment. |
| A．He is going to be a hit. | B．He will avoid all barriers. |
| C．He will be a qualified climber. | D．He will be a man of strong will. |
6 . A father died from cold while sheltering his nine-year- old daughter from serious weekend snowstorms that swept（席卷）northern Japan. Mikio Okada, one of at least nine people killed as snowstorms swept across Hokkaido, died as he tried to protect his only child Natsune against winds of up to 109 kilometers per hour in Yubetsu, Hokkaido, as temperatures fell sharply to -6℃.
Okada's body was discovered by savers looking for the pair after relatives asked for help. Natsune was wearing her father's jacket and was protected in his arms. The pair had last been heard from at 4 p. m. on Saturday, after fisherman Okada picked his daughter up from a school where she was being looked after while he was at work. Okada called his relatives to say his truck had become caught in the driving snow, which was several meters deep in places. He told them he and Natsune would walk the kilometers left. The two were found just 300 meters from the truck at 7 a. m. on Sunday.
Okada's body was down over his daughter, gently holding her in his arms and using his body and a wall to provide shelter. The small girl was taken to hospital, where she was found to have no serious injuries. Her father was officially pronounced dead by doctors at the same hospital.
The newspaper Yomiuri said Natsune's mother had died of illness two years earlier. Neighbors said Okada had been a very kind father who would often start his working day late to enjoy breakfast with his daughter.
His death came as families all over Japan celebrated Girls' Day, a festival in which they gather at home and decorate houses with dolls. "He booked a cake for his only daughter and was expecting to celebrate Dolls' Festival together, " a neighbor told the Yomiuri.
1. When the snowstorm happened, the father and daughter were _______.| A．returning home after visiting relatives |
| B．just 300 meters away from home |
| C．driving home from the girl’s school |
| D．on their way back after a visit to the hospital |
| A．Okada called the police to tell his truck had become stuck. |
| B．An unknown fisherman protected Natsune in his arms. |
| C．Doctors arrived at the scene on time to save her. |
| D．Okada had his body down over his daughter Natsune. |
| A．The relatives were careless and asked for help too late. |
| B．Okada just celebrated Girls' Day with his daughter before he died. |
| C．The rescuers' delay resulted in the avoidable death. |
| D．No one cared for Natsune at home while her dad was at work |
| A．9﹣year﹣old Girl Became Parentless in Snowstorm |
| B．Snowstorm Takes away 9﹣year﹣old Girl's Father |
| C．Father Dies Sheltering Daughter from Snowstorm |
| D．Japanese Dad Dies in Snowstorm |
7 . Opportunity arose for a successful experiment in a remote village called Simarkundi surrounded by 1800 acres of jungle which wasn’t even accessible by bicycle — one had to walk 7 km through a dense jungle to reach it. Villagers here were either employed as manual labour in stone mining operations, or in the illegal felling of trees.
Siddharth hadn’t visited the village yet. In one meeting, he asked the local range officer who often interacted with Simarkundi’s residents about what they needed.
What residents needed desperately was a drinking water well. To access water, they had to get it by digging the dry river bed nearby which was then collected in earthen pots. Working with local officials, they began the construction of a 30 - feet drinking water well. Wanting to see if there was any progress on constructing this well, Siddharth visited the village for the first time in January 2006 undertaking a two - hour trek.
The well made him fall in love with the village, and he felt he could succeed unlike his earlier experiments. After the well was constructed, He would walk 14 km to the village back and forth every Sunday. Altogether, he made around 40 such visits on foot and after a few months villagers did some repair work in the forest, which allowed him to visit on a motorcycle. Today, you can visit the village in your car.
There was significant improvement in farm practices and residents raised their income greatly. They stopped cutting trees from the forests. Many backward practices were successfully addressed. They constructed a kuccha road to the village and there isn’t even an inch which isn’t irrigated. All this change happened within two years.
Siddharth was transferred out of Koderma to Ranchi in 2008, but even then he would visit the village every Sunday for the next five years to ensure these changes were permanent.
1. Why did Siddharth come to Koderma?| A．To do scientific experiments. | B．To help develop the backward area. |
| C．To employ local farmers. | D．To do a survey of country life. |
| A．Building roads. | B．Closing stone mines. |
| C．Constructing a drinking well. | D．Stopping destroying the forest. |
| A．Talented. | B．Stubborn. |
| C．Committed. | D．Courageous. |
| A．A rough ride. | B．A long hard walk. |
| C．A dangerous drive. | D．A long mountain trip. |
8 . Traveling with kids is 90 percent reminding yourself to live in the moment and 10 percent making up your mind to never again leave your house.
I have an uncanny ability to forget this as soon as we return home from a trip and I've finished washing piles of dirty clothes in our luggage and cleaning all the messy caused by the kids. Extremely tired and annoyed, I would actually begin to miss the place we just left!
Family travel is like childbirth, I suppose. Painful, loud, messy, sort of awful, actually, but also wonderful. And you remember only the wonderful—until you’re back on a plane and your kids are fighting over who gets the aisle seat. Then you remember the bad stuff.
Last weekend, my kids and I flew to Texas for a trip we would have nothing to complain(抱怨) about—big hotel, wonderful view.
And yet—we found things to complain about. The pool was bigger in that other hotel! Why do you get to shower first? They call this coffee?! Luckily, I’ve learned to put my metaphorical coat of armor (盔甲) on as soon as we land somewhere, and it forces complaints to bounce off me and land in a pile at my feet.
For three days, genuine fun was had and annoying complaints were heard and ignored. Until it was time to catch a plane and fly home.
Unfortunately, our flight was canceled. We spent hours finding a hotel room. We hit the hotel pool before bed and swam well into the night, my kids making up songs and laughing so hard at their silly lyrics (歌词) and their crazy good fortune to be swimming at 10: 30 on a school night.
And that was when it hit me that family travel is all those things I said before but it’s also a lot more. It’s taking your kids to parts of the world that will open their eyes and finding that actually, yours need opening too. It’s remembering that joy and memories are where you make them, not where you find them.
1. The underlined word “uncanny” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .| A．unknown. | B．uncertain. |
| C．unexpected. | D．unusual. |
| A．they both cause financial trouble and pain. |
| B．they are both hard as well as rewarding. |
| C．childhood memories come flooding back when they travel. |
| D．both of them need many preparations. |
| A．she tries to deal with the complaints more wisely and properly. |
| B．she turns those annoying complaints into a means to educate kids. |
| C．she has improved her language skills when handling the complaints. |
| D．she has succeeded in escaping kids’ fighting thanks to the armor. |
| A．family vacation benefits her kids as well as her. |
| B．joy and memories should be created rather than discovered. |
| C．the most unforgettable memory for her is about the complaints. |
| D．she has to spend some time on housework after the family vacation. |
9 . Darshan Karwat is making headlines for having maintained an incredibly plain and continued lifestyle during his student years. The man gave up fast food, new clothes, and even toilet paper, until he got to a point where his trash（垃圾）for an entire year fit in just two plastic bags!
Karwat, who is originally from India, started the trash-free experiment when he lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and managed to keep it going for two and a half years. In the first year, he produced only 7.5 pounds of trash, and in the second year, he brought that number down to 6 pounds, which is a mind-blowing 0.4 percent of the 1,500 pounds of yearly trash produced by the average American.
Looking back, Karwat says that his inspiration to start the project came from a radio show The Story, on which he heard of a British couple who lived trash-free.
His trash mostly consisted of a few chip bags, glass milk-bottle caps, fruit stickers, and broken glass. He obviously had to make lots of sacrifices to achieve this – he stopped buying any kind of packaged food including cheeses, only drank milk from recycled glass bottles, and gave up on buying new clothes or stuff for his home – no gadgets, furniture, or even cups. He began carrying his own fork, spoon, plate, and a bowl everywhere he went, just to avoid plastic cutlery（餐具）.
“I needed to change the way I lived, and I had to get creative,” he added. “When a restaurant furnished a napkin-wrapped（包纸的）fork and knife, I asked the server to change them for cutlery without the napkin. I’d remember to say “No straw!” after asking for water and to make sure the veggie（素食者）burger I ordered didn’t come with a wooden pick holding it together. I did what I had to do, and it was awkward.”
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．How a person inspires others |
| B．How Darshan Karwat gets famous. |
| C．Darshan Karwat and his no trash experiment. |
| D．A plain and sustainable lifestyle attracts the public. |
| A．Because he is from India. |
| B．Because he has been in university. |
| C．Because he heard a story on the radio. |
| D．Because a British couple reminded to do so. |
| A．Cheeses. | B．Furniture. |
| C．Milk. | D．Gadgets. |
| A．he seldom went to a restaurant |
| B．it wasn’t convenient to live the life |
| C．the server seemed cold to him |
| D．he was proud of what he had been doing |
10 . Alan Naiman was known for being very careful about how he spent his money. But even those closest to him had no knowledge of the fortune he quietly gathered and the last act he had planned.
Naiman died of cancer at age 63 last January. The man from the American state of Washington gave most of his money to groups that help the poor, sick, disabled and abandoned children.
He gave them $11 million. The large amount of his fortune shocked the groups that received his gifts and even his best friends. That is because Naiman had been known to repair his own shoes with duct tape. He had sought deals to buy food from grocery stores at closing time and taken friends out to lunch at low cost restaurants.
Naiman died unmarried and childless. He loved children but also was intensely private. He saved, invested and worked extra jobs to gather money. He rarely spent the money on himself after seeing how unfair life could be for children who suffer most.
Naiman was a former banker who worked for the past 20 years at the state Department of Social and Health Services. He earned $67,234 a year and also took on side jobs. Sometimes, he worked as many as three at a time. He saved and invested enough to make several millions of dollars. He also received millions more from his parents after they died.
He left $2.5 million to the Pediatric Interim Care Center in Washington. The center is a private organization that cares for babies born to mothers who abused drugs and children with drug dependency. The center used the money to pay off its mortgage (按揭) and buy a new vehicle to transport the children.
Naiman gave $900, 000 to the Treehouse, where children without parents can choose toys and necessities for free. Treehouse is using Naiman’s money to expand its college and career support services Statewide.
1. Why were Naiman’s best friends shocked at his donation?| A．He left nothing to his relatives. |
| B．He was dishonest in his economic conditions. |
| C．He received wealth from his parents secretly. |
| D．He used to be very careful to spend money. |
| A．his money | B．his career |
| C．children in trouble | D．life after retirement |
| A．Why Naiman’s parents turned rich. |
| B．Where Naiman’s fortune came from. |
| C．How hard Naiman worked all his life. |
| D．How clever Naiman was to gather money. |
| A．It improved its transport system. |
| B．It offered more toys to children. |
| C．It sent more children to college. |
| D．It helped more women give up drugs. |
