1 . In a post shared on Twitter last Monday, the woman, Amy Clukey, explained that her dad, Rick, a beekeeper, died of lung cancer about nine years ago. But, before passing away, he wrote a note that he hoped one of his children would later find, and finally after so long, her little brother, who is now 16 years old, found it in his father’s beekeeping clothes.
The note said, “I hope one of my children is curious about beekeeping. Beekeeping is actually pretty easy and you can learn everything online. Bees make more products than just honey; it can be a source of extra income. So don’t be afraid, have courage. Good luck. Love Dad.”
The bee population in 2019 consisted primarily of wild bees, and North Dakota has the highest honey production with over 38 million pounds.
Clukey explained that her father bought a farm when he was in his 40s, and it was then that he took up beekeeping and other hobbies like raising cattle and horses. She added, “When he was diagnosed (诊断) with stage 4 lung cancer, the doctors told him that he had 18 months to live. He was a fighter: He lived 5 years and a week after his diagnosis.”
The post has attracted a lot of readers on the platform and has received over 42,800 likes, 2,333 comments, and 749,000 re-shares in less than 24 hours, and in the comments, the woman added that while she doesn’t do beekeeping herself, two of her brothers are interested in it.
One user commented, “I lost my dad in 2018. This post makes me cry.” And another user said, “My dad is in the last few weeks of his life battling cancer. I’ll come back to the post in a couple of months when I need it again.” And one also shared the story of her personal loss, writing, “I lost my husband half a year ago. He used to leave little notes all over the house. I can’t bring myself to move anything.”
1. What did the father wish according to the text?| A．His children could make big money. |
| B．One of his children could find the hidden note. |
| C．One of his children could be interested in keeping bees. |
| D．His children could make great contribution to the honey production. |
| A．Hard-working and brave. | B．Wealthy and healthy. |
| C．Easy-going and intelligent. | D．Generous and wise. |
| A．They are all beekeepers. | B．They are all moved by the note. |
| C．They all lost their loved ones. | D．They all found the family member’s notes. |
| A．A father’s death touched people’s hearts. |
| B．People made comments on a father’s death. |
| C．A father’s note posted online attracted attention. |
| D．Beekeeping is important for many families. |
2 . When I was about 12 years old, my older brother, James, smuggled (偷运) a BB gun into the house. Our parents had told us many times that we were not allowed to bring home guns or knives, even if they were just toys. Having any form of weaponry (兵器) in our home was strictly forbidden.
James brought me to his room. He opened his closet door and look out a shoebox that was buried beneath a heap of clothes. The BB gun was inside. I was immediately attracted by the shiny barrel (枪管).
“Can I shoot it, James?” I asked, hopefully.
“No way,” James said, taking it from me and putting it back.
One day, when no one was home, I went into Jame’s closet and took it out. For some incomprehensible reason -- I have no idea what I was thinking I went to the front window of the second floor in our row house. I cracked the window open. I pointed the gun outside and shot. I quickly shut the window and looked outside secretly.
In a matter of seconds, old Mr. Schlosberg came out of his grocery store. He looked back at his store window. He looked up the street. He looked down the street. Then he looked straight across to our house.
Thankfully, James made it home before Mother or Father.
As he stepped through the door, I could hear old Mr. Schlosberg call his name. “James, James,” he called. “Come here, son.”
After several minutes, James ran back across the street and into the living room. I had retreated into the kitchen. “Alma!” he screamed. “Get out here! You cracked Mr. Schlosberg’s window with my BB gun!”
“Oh, please, James,” I begged. “Don’t let him tell Mother. She will hit my bottom real good!” James sighed. He wiped my tears and went back across the street to Mr. Schlosberg’s. I don’t know what James said to that man, but there was never a mention of the incident again.
Years later, I found out James had used the money he got from his newspaper route to pay for Mr. Schlosberg’s cracked window. He only got one cent for every paper he delivered. He managed to pay back the debt just before he went off to fight in World War II.
Since that day, I have never touched a gun: a BB gun, a water gun, a real gun, or any other type.
1. The word “retreated” in the middle of the passage is closest in meaning to “_________”.| A．rushed happily | B．moved excitedly |
| C．wandered unhurriedly | D．escaped quietly |
| A．To deal with the problem. | B．To talk with his parents. |
| C．To throw away the gun. | D．To tell the truth. |
| A．Responsible and strict. | B．Brave and determined. |
| C．Responsible and caring. | D．Naughty and determined. |
| A．A Warmhearted Brother | B．A BB Gun |
| C．A Cracked Window | D．An Incident |
THE REWARD FOR PERSEVERANCE
We watched as Shackleton and the boat sailed away from Elephant Island. It was easy to imagine the danger ahead of them. Would they ever return to find us? What might happen to them? What if they were delayed? We felt so alone and desperate. But it was not for long. There was nothing like a good dinner and some music to cheer us up.
Life fell into a regular pattern. Staying alive took all our time and energy. For example, we needed water, and Elephant Island had none. We found that we could melt ice from the ocean and drink the water from it. But how could we make fire? There were no trees growing on Antarctica and no oil, so the only fuel we could use was animal fat. This gave off oily, black smoke, but it stayed burning even in strong winds.
Food was also a problem, as we did not find any vegetables or fruit on the island. One of our group members, Lionel Greenstreet, noted in his diary about how bored he was with the meals: “The food now is pretty well all meat of sea creatures.” If it weren’t for sea animals, we would all starve. As a chef, it was my duty to cook, so I tried to vary the meals in whatever way I could. But it was difficult.
We had to be careful not to go outside too often, as the changing temperatures could make us ill. It was almost as dangerous to become too hot from wearing too many clothes as to become too cold from wearing too few. The sweat could freeze very quickly. Many of us also became ill from the black smoke of the animal fat we burnt for our fires. It damaged our eyes and burnt our lungs.
The twentytwo of us lived like this in the cold for four months. Our discipline and team spirit kept us optimistic and helped us deal with our fears in a positive and successful way. We also celebrated our birthdays, festivals, and even the times when we caught a sea animal. This was an episode in my life that I would never forget.
When we were finally rescued, we felt such relief and joy that many of us could not hide our tears. We were at last free to go home to warm beds, good food, and the care of our family and friends. Our optimism and faith in Shackleton had helped us persevere in staying alive. And he paid us back by his commitment to save us from a slow but painful death.
1. How did the sailors get water to drink?| A．They got water from a well they dug. |
| B．They melted the ice from the snow mountain. |
| C．They made the sea water clean enough to drink. |
| D．They melted ice from the ocean. |
| A．Because the changing temperatures were too high. |
| B．Because the changing temperatures were too low. |
| C．Because the changing temperatures could make them ill. |
| D．Because the changing temperatures made the food go bad. |
| A．Their optimism and perseverance. |
| B．Their bravery and fortune. |
| C．Their optimism and fortune. |
| D．Their perseverance and luck. |
| A．He was a selfish man. |
| B．He was a man of his word. |
| C．He was a generous man. |
| D．He was a mean man. |
| A．They felt hopeless when they were on Elephant Island. |
| B．They lived a happy life when they were on Elephant Island. |
| C．They had enough food when they were on Elephant Island. |
| D．They suffered a lot on Elephant Island but at last they were rescued. |
4 . Pat Patterson, a pilot for 25 years, had never met anyone like the handsome young man in the wheelchair who faced him at the Medford, Oregon, airport on July 28, 1976. Mike Henderson, a quadriplegic (四肢瘫痪者), wanted flying lessons.
As a 22-year-old Coast Guardsman eight years before, Henderson had fallen off a dock and landed on a floating log, breaking two of his bones. Doctors said that he would probably never walk again, let alone fly. “Here was this doctor telling me how it was going to be,” he says, “but no one was going to limit my freedom to try.”
Henderson parked his wheelchair next to the airplane and began to climb up onto the wing. He injured his elbow on the way, and after a great struggle, finally managed to pull himself into the airplane’s pilot’s seat. In the flight office, Pat Patterson watched in disbelief. “He crawled his way up that wing!” he says. “It took him 45 minutes. When I went out, he was sitting in the pilot’s seat, bleeding from his injured elbow all over the place. When I saw him go through that much pain, I knew nothing could stop him.”
Now everything was up to the instructor and the student, and together they set about solving each problem as it arose. A small piece of carpet gave Henderson traction (摩擦力) to climb the slippery wing. A headset freed his hands from the radio microphone, and the two men developed a moving bar that enabled Henderson to operate the airplane more easily.
Three weeks and eight flying hours after the first lesson, Henderson and Patterson happily phoned Dr. Stoddard — Henderson’s physician. At the airport, as the physician looked on, Henderson quickly wheeled himself around the airplane, doing a thorough, professional ground check. With Patterson and Dr. Stoddard on board, he went through his preflight instrument check. Minutes later, engine starting, the plane rolled down the runway and took off into the gray sky.
1. When did Mike Henderson become disabled?| A．At the age of 25. | B．In 1968. |
| C．At the age of 30. | D．In 1976. |
| A．Depressed. | B．Experienced. |
| C．Determined. | D．Delighted. |
| A．How Patterson and Henderson overcame the difficulties together. |
| B．How Patterson helped Henderson overcome the difficulties. |
| C．How Patterson taught Henderson to fly with difficulty. |
| D．The difficulties Henderson faced before flying. |
| A．Patterson didn’t want to teach Henderson at first. |
| B．Henderson finally succeeded in flying alone. |
| C．Patterson was very strict with Henderson. |
| D．Henderson went through a lot of difficulties. |
5 . Alonzo Carter, also known as Zo, is currently a football coach for the San Jose State Spartans in California. He’s trained countless student athletes, which often means his previous job in the hip-hop industry goes unnoticed. But not always!
Back in 1989, he and a few of his college friends auditioned (试演) for a music video. The song? MC Hammer’s still-unknown classic, Let’s Get It Started. They were hired on the spot and soon went on tours with him! As the summer came to an end, Zo assumed he’d return to college to finish his degree and reclaim his spot on the football team, but MC Hammer gained great popularity and started taking over the airwaves. Zo had a huge decision to make and ultimately joined MC Hammer as a permanent (长期的) backup dancer! But Zo couldn’t shake his passion for football. He eventually left the group to return to his high school in Oakland, California, where he began coaching track and football.
Decades later, Zo is one of the most well-known and respected college football coaches and doesn’t call much attention to his hip-hop beginnings. But at a training practice in 2017, a familiar song started playing over the PA system (广播系统). It happened that the head coach Brent Brennan had caught wind of Zo’s past and wanted him to show off his moves.
Without missing a beat, Zo dived in and started doing the Hammer Dance he had helped create all those years before. The moves came to him as easily as they had done back in the day, and his players obviously couldn’t get enough of his impressive talent.
Zo is a good reminder of how surprising career paths can be. Just think what would have happened if he hadn’t gone to that audition! The Hammer Dance wouldn’t exist as we know it, which would be a real tragedy (悲剧).
1. What does Zo do now?| A．He coaches a college football team. | B．He serves as head of backup dancer. |
| C．He competes in track and field events. | D．He teaches high school students hip-hop. |
| A．MC Hammer didn’t become famous until 1989. |
| B．Zo and his friends didn’t perform well in the audition. |
| C．Zo and his friends didn’t know much about Let’s Get It Started. |
| D．MC Hammer wasn’t in favor of Zo’s decision to finish his degree. |
| A．Had looked into. | B．Had reflected on. | C．Had talked about. | D．Had heard of. |
| A．He thinks little of it. | B．He is doubtful about it. |
| C．He is very proud of it. | D．He thinks it a best choice. |
6 . One day when I was 5, my mother scolded me for not finishing my rice and I got angry. I wanted to play outside and not to be made to finish eating my rice. When angrily opening the screen door with my foot, I kicked back a 12-inch part of the lower left-hand corner of the new screen door. But I had no remorse, for I was happy to be playing in the backyard with my toys.
Today, I know if my child had done what I did, I would have scolded my child and told him about how expensive this new screen door was, and I would have given him a spanking (打屁股) for it. But my parents never said a word. They left the corner of the screen door broken, creating an opening.
For years, every time I saw that corner of the screen door, it would constantly make me think about my mistake. For years, I knew that everyone in my family would see that hole and remember who had done it. For years, every time I saw a fly in the kitchen, I would wonder if it came in through the hole that I had created with my angry foot. I would wonder if my family members were thinking the same thing, silently blaming me every time a flying insect entered our home. My parents taught me a valuable lesson, one that a spanking or stern (严厉的) words perhaps could not teach. Their silent punishment for what I had done delivered a hundred stern messages to me. Above all, it has helped me become a more patient person and not get mad so easily.
1. What does the underlined word “remorse” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?| A．Regret. | B．Hurt. | C．Joy. | D．Notice. |
| A．They gave him a spanking. | B．They left the screen door unrepaired. |
| C．They scolded him for what he had done. | D．They told him how expensive it was. |
| A．He can hide his anger in front of others. | B．He can have better control of himself. |
| C．He will never go against his parents’ will. | D．He will never make such mistakes in the future. |
| A．Adults should ignore their children’s bad behavior. |
| B．Parents are the best teachers of their children. |
| C．What is the best way to become a more patient person? |
| D．Silent punishment may have a better effect on educating people. |
7 . After leaving the book at Mr. Emerson’s, I returned through the woods. And entering SleepyHollow (睡谷), I found a lady lying near the road which bends along its verge (边缘). It was Margaret herself. She had been there the whole afternoon, reading and thinking deeply about something. She had a book in her hand, with a strange name, which I did not understand and have forgotten.
She said that nobody had broken her state of being alone, and was saying that nobody ever visited SleepyHollow when we saw a whole group of people entering the greatly respected area. Most of them followed a path which led them far from us. But an old man passed near us and smiled to see Margaret lying on the ground, and me sitting by her side. He made some remark about the beauty of the afternoon, and disappeared himself into the dark area of the wood.
Then we continued to talk about Autumn, the pleasures of getting lost in the woods, the black birds, whose voices Margaret had heard, the experiences of early childhood, whose influence remains upon the character after the remembering of them has passed away, the sight of mountains from a distance, and the view from their tops of mountains.
In the middle of our talk, we heard footsteps above us. While the visitor was still hidden among the trees, he called to Margaret, of whom he had seen. Then he walked out of the green forest. It was Mr. Emerson who had found no better way of spending Sunday than to walk among the woods. He appeared to have had a pleasant time, for he said that there were Muses (缪斯) in the woods today and very quiet voices to be heard in the light wind.
It being now nearly six o’clock, we said goodbye, Mr. Emerson and Margaret towards their home, and I towards mine, where my little wife was very busy getting tea.
1. What did Margaret stay to do in SleepyHollow for the whole afternoon?| A．To read a book. | B．To play with water. |
| C．To enjoy herself. | D．To chat with herself. |
| A．One’s character. | B．Fish’s voice. |
| C．People’s views. | D．Margaret’s childhood. |
| A．Drinking tea. | B．Staying at home. |
| C．Walking in the woods. | D．Talking about interesting topics. |
| A．Boring. | B．Pleasant | C．Disappointing. | D．Frightening. |
8 . The Scout’s (童子军) slogan is “Do a Good Turn Daily.” In Troop 506 of Ham Lake, a 13-year-old Scout Jonathan is pioneering new trails when it comes to “good turns.”
Like many troops, 506 sells popcorn to raise money. Many Scouts fear trying to convince people to buy from them. But in 2019, Jonathan watched as kids who’d made $1,800 or more in sales crossed a stage to receive a Lego set as a reward. “I really wanted that Lego set,” he says.
The next year, he earned his Legos. But Troop 506 doesn’t just give out Lego sets. Under its generous reward program, Scouts receive a percentage of their sales in gift cards and cash points for activities. Inspired, Jonathan spent the next few years developing an astonishing skill for selling.
Popcorn too expensive? A simple donation will do. No cash? He also takes plastic. He marched into a car dealership and struck a deal with the dealer: In all his sales efforts, he’d wear a mask with the company’s logo if the owner would buy popcorn for all his employees.
Jonathan started pulling down jaw-dropping numbers. In 2021, he was a top seller and earning $5,000. He might have spent it on himself, but he had other ideas. The holidays were on his mind - particularly the stories his father had told him about his own days in foster care where the real Christmas-morning experience his father was once denied.
“They didn’t really have Christmas,” Jonathan says. With $5,000, he could bring Christmas to a lot of kids. He shifted from big seller to big spender, hand-selecting $5,000 worth of gifts for several kids. “It really makes me happy,” he says, “the feeling that I’m making those kids happy on Christmas.”
“This is the reason why we do Scouting. Jonathan’s a great example for all of us” says his scoutmaster, Aaron Miller.
1. Why did Jonathan decide to sell popcorn?| A．To raise money for cash points. |
| B．To stand out in an Scouting activity. |
| C．To receive a reward from the troop. |
| D．To win gift cards for Christmas gifts. |
| A．Jonathan’s persuasive ability. |
| B．Jonathan’s ambitious nature. |
| C．Jonathan’s determination to win. |
| D．Jonathan’s excellent selling strategies. |
| A．The Scout Slogan. | B．The holiday atmosphere. |
| C．His father’s experience in foster care. | D．Troop 506’s reward program. |
| A．A Scout Plays Santa | B．Be a Top Popcorn Seller. |
| C．A Slogan Enjoys Popularity. | D．Go for Scouting Activities |
9 . Gone are the days when you and your best friend shared everything about your life. Whether you’re at fault or she is, mending a broken friendship is far from easy. If the relationship means a lot and you aren’t willing to simply throw it away, fixing it is possible. That’s what I have learned in the past months.
When I first moved to Florida, I felt so out of place. I had come from a small town and was so unsure of myself. Luckily, my husband and I moved into a friendly neighbourhood, and things became better.
For many years, my neighbour across the street and I shared happy times. But then a misunderstanding occurred, and she quit speaking to me. I tried many times to speak to her about the issue and tell her how sorry I was that I had let her down. But she refused to take my phone calls and avoided me when I was outside.
During our conflict, my husband and I put our house up for sale. We weren’t leaving the neighbourhood because of a feeling of hurt; we were having twins and needed more room for our growing family.
Months later, I moved away without talking to her and putting an end to our misunderstanding. It always made me sad when I thought of how poorly it had ended. For many times I wished we had renewed our friendship. I just hated the feelings left from our unsolved conflict. It was like a scab (痂) that kept reopening and worsening with pain and upset.
About eight months after we moved, I decided to take a drive back into the old neighbourhood. As I drove down my street, I saw my former neighbour washing her car in her front yard. I knew that I needed to stop and greet her. I opened the car door and got out. To my surprise, she came up and gave me a big hug. We both apologized for our actions, and I felt that I finally achieved closure. I was able to say I was sorry and have it accepted.
1. What does the underlined phrase “out of place” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Excited. | B．Uncomfortable. | C．Amazed. | D．Unforgettable. |
| A．She had a violent quarrel with her neighbour. |
| B．The whole neighbourhood hurt her family badly. |
| C．Her husband insisted that they should move away. |
| D．The house didn’t have enough space for their family. |
| A．She found peace whenever she recalled the memory. |
| B．She didn’t know how to get along with her neighbour. |
| C．She felt mad at her neighbour when she moved away. |
| D．She regretted not resolving the misunderstanding before moving. |
| A．Mending a Friendship | B．Saying Goodbye to a Friend |
| C．Argument with a Beloved Neighbour | D．A Friendship with an Unexpected Ending |
10 . Just as certain actors led me to acting, certain cooking show hosts should be responsible for my strong interest in the subject of food. The first is of course Julia Child, the queen of culinary (烹饪的) TV.
Child not only changed what Americans cooked and ate, but also greatly influenced their diet of weekly television viewing. Her show The French Chef, which aired in 1963, was one of the first cooking shows on American television and lasted for 10 years. Watching her expertly cook, often making mistakes along the way, made viewers feel that they too could create such dishes. Her achievements were amazing, from her first work, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, to countless others, as well as season upon season of shows.
Child has always interested me. Watching The French Chef with my mom was a way to spend some time with her because with three kids and a full-time job, she was extremely busy. In fact, we would often watch the show when she was doing housework. My mother admired Child and in turn passed the feeling to me along with an interest in how someone goes about cooking a meal.
Years later, I caught an old episode (集) of the show at my parents’ home and watched it with even more attentiveness than I had when I was young. When Child said in her last episode, “This is Julia Child, bon appétit (祝您好胃口)!” Tears suddenly welled up in my eyes. I realized that I was moved by Child not only because she brought back happy boyhood memories but also because Child herself was so happy to be doing what she was doing.
I saw at that moment the embodiment (典型) of what I and so many of us want to become. To spend your life doing what you love and doing it well.
1. What do we know about Julia Child?| A．She took part in many cooking competitions. |
| B．She pioneered cooking shows in America. |
| C．She worked as a director for a TV show. |
| D．She wrote books about American food. |
| A．To relax after finishing housework. |
| B．To enjoy his mother’s company. |
| C．To learn to cook meals for his mother. |
| D．To free his mother from looking after kids. |
| A．He was surprised by her words. |
| B．He felt regret for his boyhood. |
| C．He understood the meaning of life. |
| D．He found he had a talent for cooking. |
| A．Julia Child’s effects on me. | B．Julia Child’s achievements. |
| C．Julia Child’s wonderful life. | D．Julia Child’s amazing show. |
