1 . 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 |
2 . A few weeks ago, I found myself taken aback by the strange and rough behavior of a medical practitioner(行医者). For the first time that I could remember, I had missed an appointment, and she called to berate me. Yes, it was my fault, but I think I subconsciously avoided the appointment due to the aggressive communication we had had thus far.
I had a sense of what I was getting into when I chose to go with her — I was warned about her bedside manner — but she came, highly recommended by multiple people, and I did not have the energy to keep looking for other options. So I went with her and made myself ready for the journey.
But I was not prepared. She screamed at me for minutes on end, as I sat there, unable to get a word in, feeling terribly guilty and ashamed of the missed appointment and having wasted her time. There was no calm talk about paying for the missed appointment.
After the phone call, I felt terrible. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and that everyone we meet comes into our lives for a reason.
A week or so later, after telling a friend about the event, I was blessed with this insight: This woman’s attacking voice was familiar, and it was personified and strengthened by my harsh(刺耳的), critical inner voice. My friend helped me see what a blessing this encounter was. If I could see my inner critic as this woman with her associated foolish behaviour, I would not allow myself to buy into it.
I remember I once read an article which says that when we look at the behavior of others, we are looking at a mirror. According to the “Mirror Theory”, when we observe character defects(缺点) in other people, we are really seeing the undeveloped and unresolved parts of our personality. With this in mind, not only do I need to examine how I view and treat myself, but also other people. So eventually, my encounter with this practitioner was for the best.
1. What does the underlined word “berate” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Scold | B．Comfort | C．Question | D．Contact |
| A．She lacked communication with the practitioner. |
| B．She spent much time preparing for the journey. |
| C．She was afraid to face the rude practitioner. |
| D．She wanted to find a better practitioner. |
| A．It helped her realize her own mistakes. |
| B．It helped her see her own critic inner voice. |
| C．It gave her a chance to listen to her own heart. |
| D．It gave her experience in dealing with rough people. |
| A．Treat herself better in the future. |
| B．Treat other people with more tolerance. |
| C．Overlook the character defects in other people. |
| D．See her character defects while observing others. |
The old man walked slowly into the restaurant. His poor jacket, patched (打补丁) trousers, and worn-out shoes made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd. Unforgettable were his pale blue eyes that sparkled (闪耀) like diamonds，large rosy cheeks，and thin lips that held a steady smile．
With the help of his trusty cane (拐杖), he walked toward a table by the window．A young waitress watched him and ran over to him，saying，"Here，Sir．Let me give you a hand with that chair．"
Without a word，he smiled and nodded a thank you．She pulled the chair away from the table．Supporting him with one arm，she helped him move in front of the chair，and get comfortably seated．Then she pushed the table up close to him，and leaned his cane against the table where he could reach it．
In a soft，clear voice he said，"Thank you，Miss．"
"You're welcome，Sir．"She replied．"My name is Mary．I'll be back in a moment．If you need anything，just wave at me．"
After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes，bacon，and hot lemon tea，Mary brought him the change，helping him up from his chair and out from behind the table．She handed him his cane，and walked with him to the front door．Holding the door open for him，she said，"Come back and see us，Sir!"
He nodded a thank you and said softly with a smile，"You are very kind!"
When Mary went to clean his table，she was shocked．Under his plate she found a business card and a note written on the napkin，under which was a $ 100bill．
The note on the napkin read，"Dear Mary，I respect you very much，and you respect yourself，too．It shows by the way you treat others．You have found the secret of happiness．Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you．"
The man she had served was the owner of the restaurant．This was the first time that she，or any of his employees，had seen him in person．
1. When did the story happen? ( no more than 10 words)2. Please explain the underlined phrase “stand out” in English. (no more than 5 words)
3. What did the old man think of the waitress’ service? (no more than 8 words)
4. Why did the old man leave a 100 bill? (no more than 12 words)
5. According to the passage, how do you understand the meaning of “Happiness”? (no more than 25 words)
4 . I’m interested in coding and technology, but there’s a huge gender gap in the computing field, meaning girls are in the minority. I wanted to change that. I started the Catwalk Coding Camp where girls learn how to code(编程) light-up accessories (配饰) and show them at a fashion show. I thought the main result would be that some would be interested enough to learn more, but it turned out that the girls were hungry for role models in the field.
I’d never seen myself as a role model, but suddenly there were younger girls looking up to me. It made me want to be better. This “role model psychology" doesn’t just change what I do out in the world; it changes what I do for myself. I’m halfway through my first year as a computer science major. To be honest, it’s not always easy!
I struggled, and there was a moment when I considered changing my major. Difficult as it is, I survive and move on. Look around the lecture hall and only one third of the students are girls. Then when we break up into sections led by more advanced students, only 2 to 3 sections are run by women.
It keeps me going to know that so many girls look up to me. They have decided that if another girl can go into computer science, they can as well. I want to do well so I can become a section leader in years to come, hoping to close the gender gap in the field.
1. What surprised the author after the Catwalk Coding Camp?| A．The fashion show turned out to be a success. |
| B．The girls wanted role models in computing field. |
| C．Some girls presented unusual talents for fashion. |
| D．Many girls displayed interest in learning coding. |
| A．Change her major in the college. |
| B．Hold more coding camps for girls. |
| C．Make girls feel welcome in the field. |
| D．Help more girls become section leaders. |
| A．Exhausting. | B．Relaxing. |
| C．Discouraging. | D．Challenging. |
| A．The admiration from the girls. | B．The desire to be a scientist. |
| C．The determination to be better. | D．The hunger for knowledge. |
5 . Paswan and his teen daughter Jyoti Kumari recently completed the 750-mile journey from their former apartment on the outskirts of New Dehli all the way to their home village. What's remarkable is that they rode the entire distance on a bicycle they purchased with their last $20, with Jyoti pedaling(脚蹬）as her father rode on the seat with his heavy bag.
The story of their determination has inspired millions of migrant workers across the country, where the novel coronavirus lockdowns has resulted in severe work shortages. Many of these laborers have needed to take similar journeys from major cities back to their home villages where they can be supported by their family-but financial problems have left many of them stranded（使搁浅）and wondering what's next.
Things had not been going well for Paswan,even before the pandemic(大流行病）. In January, he was involved in a traffic accident while working as a rickshaw driver. His daughter, who had dropped out of school a year earlier because of the family's financial troubles, decided to make the trip to New Dehli to care for her injured father. When the lockdown hit and Paswan was unable to earn a living, their landlord cut off their electricity and threatened to kick them out of their apartment. It was then that Jyoti suggested that they head home to their village in Bihar.
Jyoti had cycled a lot in their village, and they had just enough money to purchase a bicycle. She insisted that she would get her dad home safely.
That being said, it was not a bewitching journey for Jyoti and Paswan-they often found themselves without enough to eat; they slept at gas stations, and often relied on the generosity of strangers. The pair traveled nearly 100 miles per day. On borrowed cell phones, Jyoti would reassure her worried mother:"Don't worry, I'll get Papa home good.”
True to her word, Jyoti and her father made it home. Additionally, since the Indian media has dubbed(把......称为）her “Jyoti the lionhearted",the teenage girl has been contacted by Onkar Singh, the chairman of the Cycling Federation of India, urging her to try out for the national team.
1. What caused Paswan and his daughter to decide to go home?| A．The worsening situation |
| B．The terrible traffic accident. |
| C．The expectation from family. |
| D．The desire to travel by bicycle. |
| A．Paswan and Jyoti would continue to pay the landlord. |
| B．Paswan and Jyoti lived a good life before the pandemic. |
| C．Paswan failed to earn a living due to the traffic accident. |
| D．Paswan and Jyoti had no choice but to leave New Dehli. |
| A．Tough. | B．Smooth. | C．Unforgettable. | D．Meaningful. |
| A．She might go back to New Dehli to earn a living. |
| B．She might check if she has the potential for cycling. |
| C．She might invite Onkar Singh to be her private coach. |
| D．She might complain to the media about the new name. |
6 . “A teacher affects eternity( 永恒); he can never tell where his influence stops.”
---Henry Adams
He was eight years old. A telegram came from the hospital, and since his father, a Russian immigrant, could not read English, Morrie had to break the news, reading his mother's death notice like a student read in front of the class. “We regret to inform you.." he began.
On the morning of the funeral, Morrie's relatives came down the steps of his tenement building on the poor Lower East Side of Manhattan. At the cemetery, Morrie watched as they shoveled dirt into his mother's gave. He tried to retell the tender moments they had shared when she was alive. She had operated a candy store until she got sick, after which she mostly slept or sat by the window, looking frail and weak. Sometimes she would yell out for her son to get her some medicine, and young Morrie, playing stickball in the street, would pretend he did not hear her.
In his mind he believed he could make the illness go away by ignoring it.
How else can a child deal with death?
Morrie's father, whom everyone called Charlie, had come to America to escape the Russian Army. He worked in the fur business, but constantly out of a job. Uneducated and barely able to speak English, he was terribly poor, and the family was on the public assistance much of the time. Sometimes, to make money, Morrie and his younger brother, David, would wash porch steps together for a nickel(镍币).
One morning, David couldn't move. He had polio(小儿麻痹症). For a long time- -as his brother was taken back and forth to a special medial home and was forced to wear braces on his les, which left him limping-- Morrie felt responsible.
So in the mornings, he went to synagogue(犹太教会堂) and he stood among the swaying men in their long black coats and he asked God to take care of his dead mother and his sick brother.
And in the afternoons , he stood at the bottom of the subway steps and sold magazines, turning whatever money he made over to his family to buy food.
In the evenings, he watched his father eat in silence, hoping for- -but never getting --a show of affection, communication, warmth.
At nine years old, he felt as if the weight of a mountain were on his shoulders.
But a saving embrace came into Morrie's life the following year: his new stepmother, Eva. She was a short Romanian immigrant with plain features, curly brown hair, and the energy of two women. She had a glow(光) that warmed the otherwise murky atmosphere his father created. She talked when her new husband was silent, she sang songs to the children at night.
Morrie took comfort in her smoothing voice, her school lessons, her strong character. When his brother returned from the medical home, still wearing braces from the polio, the two of them shared a rollaway bed in the kitchen of their apartment, and Eva would kiss them good-night. Morrie waited on those kisses like a puppy waits on milk, and he felt, deep down, that he had a mother again.
There was no escaping their poverty, however. Because of the Depression, Morrie's father found even less work in the fur business.
Still, despite their circumstances, Morrie was taught to love and to care. And to learn. Eva would accept nothing less than excellence in school, because she saw education as the only antidote to their poverty. She herself went to night school to improve her English. Morrie's love for education was hatched in her arms.
He studied at night, by the lamp at the kitchen table. And in the mornings he would go to synagogue to say Kaddish- the memorial prayer for the dead- for his mother. He did this to keep her memory alive.
“What will you do?" Eva would ask him.
“I don't know," he would say. He ruled out law, because he didn’t like lawyers, and he ruled out medicine, because he couldn't take the sight of blood.
“What will you do?"
It was only through default that the best professor I ever had became a teacher.
1. Why didn't Morrie respond to Mother's yelling for medicine?| A．He didn't know how to help his mother. |
| B．He was too focused on playing stickball. |
| C．He was lost in tender moments they shared in the past. |
| D．He was too young to understand what was happening to his family. |
| A．began to enjoy a materially rich life |
| B．witnessed his father changing the atmosphere |
| C．partly recovered from the sufferings in his life |
| D．was forced to pursue academic achievements |
| A．Alternative. |
| B．Credit. |
| C．Exception. |
| D．Solution. |
| A．Every cloud has a silver lining. |
| B．No man is wise at all times. |
| C．Time and tide wait for no man. |
| D．Well begun is half done. |
In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression in other animal. This sometimes happens with humans also. But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people. I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat. And I have discovered that it makes them happy.
From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, but sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily. They don’t get to see this soft side of others. Often, we try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending. But only when we stop pretending we’ re brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’ s in them.
Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual. People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning (按喇叭) or even shouting at me. At that moment，I decided to do something I had never done in twenty-four years of driving. I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed.
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to the other drivers, “I have a problem here. I am weak and doing the best I can.” And everyone understood. Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass. They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic. But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak.
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way. But those are few and far between. More often, it would be better if we don’t pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared.
1. When will people feel happy as the author has discovered? (No more than 7 words)2. Why does the author feel sad sometimes in Paragraph 2? (No more than 12 words)
3. What did the other drivers do when they saw the flashlights (No more than 4 words)t?
4. What does the underlined the sentence in Paragraph 6 probably mean? (No more than 5 words)
5. What can we learn from the author’s experience? (No more than 20 words).
8 . I'd done it before, and so I had no reason to believe that this time would be any different. I was sure that when I returned home from my mission trip, as always, I'd bring back nothing more than some mud on my boots, a hole or two in my jeans and, of course, a lot of great memories.
The summer before my high school graduation, I went to West Virginia with others as volunteers to repair the homes of those in need. Arriving at our destination, my group was assigned the task of rebuilding sections of a home that had been damaged by fire. No sooner had we parked on the home's dirt driveway than we saw an excited little girl, no more than six years old, standing in the doorway of the family's temporary home. Shoeless and wearing dirty clothes and the biggest smile I'd ever seen, she yelled, "Ma, Ma, they really came! " I didn't know it then, but her name was Dakota, and four more days would pass before she’d say another word near me.
Behind Dakota was a woman in a wheelchair—her grandmother, we'd soon learn. I also discovered that my job that week would be to help change a fire—damaged dining room into a bedroom for this little girl. Grabbing our tools, we went to work. Over the following days, I noticed Dakota peeking at us every now and then as we worked. A few times. I tried talking with her, but she remained shy and distant, always flying around us like a tiny butterfly but keeping to herself.
By our fifth and final day, however, this was about to change.
Before I went to work on her home on that last morning, I spoke for a moment or two with the grandmother. I was especially pleased when she told me how much Dakota loved her new room so much, in fact, that she'd begged to sleep in it the previous night, even though it wasn't quite ready. As we talked, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before—Dakota was hiding behind her grandmother. Cautiously, she stepped into view, and I could see that just like her clothes, her face was still dirty. But no amount of soil could hide those bright blue eyes and big smile. She was simply adorable. I wanted so much to hug her, but respecting her shyness, I kept my distance.
Slowly, she began walking toward me. It wasn't until she was just inches away that I noticed the folded piece of paper in her tiny hand. Silently, she reached up and handed it to me. Once unfolded, I looked at the drawing she'd made with her broken crayons on the back of an old coloring book cover. It was of two girls—one much taller than the other—and they were holding hands. She told me it was supposed to be me and her and on the bottom of the paper were three little words that instantly broke my heart. Now almost in tears, I couldn't control myself anymore—I bent down and hugged her. She hugged me, too. And for the longest time, neither one of us could let go.
By early afternoon, we finished Dakota's bedroom, and so I gladly used the rare free time to get to know my newest friend. Sitting under a tree away from the others, we shared a few apples while she told me about her life. As I listened to her stories about the struggles she and her family went through daily, I began to realize how boring various aspects of my own life were.
I left for home early the next morning. I was returning with muddy boots and holes in my jeans. But because of Dakota, I brought back something else, too—a greater appreciation for all of the blessing of my life. I’ll never forget that barefoot little butterfly with the big smile and dirty face. I pray that she’ll never forget me either.
1. From the appearance description of the little girl, we know _______.| A．she formed a bad living habit |
| B．she hoped for a better education |
| C．she was an innocent and lovely child |
| D．she was strong and calm in the inner world |
| A．Enjoy your help. |
| B．Please don’t leave. |
| C．Help me, please. |
| D．Hug me close. |
| A．She worried about the little girl’s future. |
| B．She decided to keep helping the little girl. |
| C．She felt a greater affection for the little girl. |
| D．She got surprised at the little girl’s worthless gift. |
| A．One must learn to share life experiences. |
| B．One often wants to lead a meaningful life. |
| C．One occasionally benefits from the poverty. |
| D．One should be more grateful for the gift of life. |
9 . Parking in the CBD of any Australian city is expensive, hard to come by and often an unavoidable headache. But Rylan Kindness, a 16-year-old entrepreneur (企业家) from Brisbane, thinks he might have the answer to this problem.
It was after Rylan realized his parents were spending hours to try and find parking deals in the city that he came up with the idea for a centralized system. This system shows users the best price for parking in the area they want and offers users a daily deal with a discount .
Rylan now doubles as a high school student and the CEO of Parking Deals Australia, a role he took on four months ago. Parking Deals Australia isn't even Rylan's first business. When he was barely 11, Rylan came up with an idea to sell wholesale scooter parts online, purely because he just wanted some extra money. On the side, he's succeeding in other passions as well. However, he admits it hasn't always been smooth sailing.
“I've learned so many crazy things through trial and error. Every day I fail somewhere but I always try to get better. My biggest failure was when I first set up everything and thought it was what everyone else would like but it's a shock when I see people not enjoying what I’m doing. It makes me want to cry a little bit but then I polish the product and keep going.”he said.
While Rylan didn't want to say exactly how much his now-bustling company is worth, he did admit he's making a tidy profit.“I earn more in one day than I was earning for three months working in a cafe but I'm investing it all back into the business.... what I've learned is that if you're starting a business just to make money, you're definitely going to fail. I'm there to help millions of people and that's what really gets me going,”he said.
Rylan's goal with Parking Deals Australia is to take it countrywide and save millions of people millions of dollars.
1. According to the article, the centralized system can .| A．analyze users' parking habits | B．recommend the cheapest parking spaces |
| C．show the nearest parking lot | D．show available parking spaces |
| A．He got the idea for the parking system from his parents directly. |
| B．He left school to run his own company four months ago. |
| C．He displayed a talent for business when he was about 11. |
| D．He started his business purely for profits. |
| A．To assist people while making a profit. |
| B．To earn some extra money and make bigger investments. |
| C．To get improvement by working through failures. |
| D．To expand his influence on a national scale. |
| A．Hardworking and humor. | B．Bright and curious. |
| C．Generous and cautious. | D．Ambitious and insistent. |
10 . Diana Nyad, born in 1949, is one of the world's greatest long-distance swimmers. She started as a speed swimmer, winning races in high school and dreaming of the Olympics. However, Nyad fell ill with heart disease before she could compete in the 1968 Olympic Games and had to spend three months in bed. By the time Nyad was better, she was unable to swim as fast as she had previously.
Nyad then turned from speed swimming to distance swimming. Her first race was 10 miles in the cold waters of Lake Ontario. Even though she came in tenth place, she was the first woman ever to complete the course. In 1974, Nyad set a record while swimming a 22-mile race in the Bay of Naples, Italy. That same year she tried to swim back and forth across Lake Ontario, a total of 64 miles. Nyad made it across the lake, but on the return trip, she lost consciousness and had to be pulled from the water. In 1975, she swam around Manhattan Island, a distance of 28 miles, in a record of 7 hours and 57 minutes. Three years later she swam 102 miles from the Bahamas to Florida.
In 2010, at the age of 61, Nyad announced she would swim from Cuba to Florida. In order to train, Nyad spent as many as 14 hours a day swimming in the ocean. The swim from Cuba to Florida would last at least 60 hours and cover 103 miles. Unfortunately, bad weather forced Nyad to wait until the next year. In 2011, Nyad attempted the swim but was blown off course after being in the water for 29 hours. Nyad attempted the swim again a few months later, but she had to stop because of too many jellyfish stings (海蜇蜇伤）.
Despite these setbacks, Nyad continues to preserve and plans to eventually make the Cuba-to-Florida swim. She has made a vow (誓言）to never stop swimming and wants other older Americans to understand that it is never too late to make one's dreams come true.
1. What made Nyad fail to participate in the 1968 Olympic Games? (No more than 5 words)2. What does the second paragraph mainly talk about? (No more than 10 words)
3. How did Nyad make preparations for her swimming from Cuba to Florida? (No more than 15 words)
4. What does the underlined word “setbacks” in the last paragraph mean? (Only 1 word)
5. What inspiration do you learn from Nyad’s stories and experiences? (No more than 25 words)
