1 . Along the coast of Cornwall, the UK, by the white beaches near St Austell, a superhero stands tall. What is this superheroes weapon of choice? She has two, actually: in one hand, a large recycling bag, and in the other, a heavy-duty litter picker.
Meet Pat Smith, the 71-year-old eco-warrior (环境卫士) also known as “Action Granny”. Pat set herself a task to clear the plastic from 52 beaches in Cornwall and Devon. The former teacher jumped into action after watching a film called A Plastic Ocean, which described the range of plastic pollution damaging the world's oceans and killing sea life.
“It was really life-changing for me,” says Pat. “Until that point, I hadn’t realized there was a problem with plastic in the ocean. I went home from the theater and was really bothered. We have been consuming so much plastic that we are causing an ocean crisis. I said to myself ‘I’ve got to do something about it.’”
From January 1 until December 31, 2018, Pat cleaned one beach every week. Yet even with the year over and her task completed, she hasn’t stopped. Pat is also picking up litter — and so are her children in the playground, “My daughter-in-law said last week that she had organize a lifter-picking activity in the playground with other children. That just shows you that when people are exposed to what you do, they are very likely to follow in your footsteps.”
Joining Pat today is Marta, a research fellow at the Basque Center for climate Change, who has travelled from Spain to Cornwall to show support for Pat's action. She also explained her intention of cooperation to Pat. As an environmentalist herself Marta knows how important it is to work hand in hand, and she would like to show her sincerity.
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By raising a question. | B．By giving a definition. |
| C．By describing a situation. | D．By introducing a familiar film. |
| A．Her title as a superhero. | B．Her using too much plastic. |
| C．Her previous job as a teacher. | D．Her watching A Plastic Ocean. |
| A．It need urgent support. | B．It has its own limitations. |
| C．It’s a time-consuming thing. | D．It is influential among her kids. |
| A．To ask for support from Pat. |
| B．To advocate Pat and work together with her. |
| C．To raise people’s awareness of climate change. |
| D．To show the importance of protecting the environment. |
| A．A retired teacher’s war on plastic waste. |
| B．The cooperation between Pat and Marta. |
| C．A considerate granny and national superhero. |
| D．AN elderly granny’s study on climate change. |
2 . It was already dark when an old man came to a small town.He found an inn and wanted to stay there for the night.After he had gone to his room,the owner said to his wife,“Look at his bag,dear.I’m sure there are lots of valuable things in it.I want to steal it when he is asleep.”
“No,no,” said the woman.“He must look for his bag tomorrow morning.Then he’ll take you before the judge.”They thought and at last the woman had an idea.“We have forgetful grass,” said the woman,“Why not put some into his food?If he has the food,he will forget to take his bag away.”“How clever you are!” said the owner,“Don’t forget it when you prepare supper for him.”
The old man had the food with the forgetful grass and went to bed.The next morning,when the owner got up,he found the door was open and the old man had left with his bag.He woke his wife up and said angrily,“What a fool!Your forgetful grass isn’t useful at all.”
“No,no,” said the woman.“I don’t think so.He must forget something.”
“Oh,I’ve remembered!”The owner cried out suddenly,“He forgot...”
1. The old man came to the inn .| A．in the morning | B．in the afternoon |
| C．in the evening | D．at night |
| A．get the man’s bag | B．steal the man’s money |
| C．make the man pay them more | D．hide the man’s bag |
| A．the old man always forgot something |
| B．they wanted to make the food better |
| C．they hoped the old man would leave the bag in the inn |
| D．they wanted to know if the grass was useful |
| A．to take his bag away | B．to tell the owner when he left |
| C．to close the door when he went to sleep | D．to pay them the inn money |
| A．Both the owner and his wife were clever. |
| B．The owner of the inn got nothing from the old man. |
| C．The old man left the inn without his bag. |
| D．The woman forgot to put the forgetful grass into the food. |
3 . Claire Wyatt, a 24-year-old British volunteer, led eight Cambodians living with disabilities on a 155-mile bike ride from Phnom Penh, the nation’s capital, to Siem Reap to raise money and deliver supplies to those in need in the coronavirus pandemic(新冠病毒大流行).
“Leading this trip was an incredibly special experience for me,” said Claire. “Not only was I encouraged by the determination of each and every rider, but also the team taught me every day not to focus on their disability.”
When she was first asked to lead the trip, Claire admitted, she was feeling nervous about her team traveling such a distance in just a few days because cycling with a disability can come with added physical and emotional challenges.
One team member named Dy, who lost an arm in an accident, biked using just one arm to balance. Another named Vulta could only pedal on one side due to polio(小儿麻痹). Despite all the difficulties, Claire realized quickly that she didn’t have to worry about her team. She saw them deal with rough area that she had seen abled cyclists give up on before.
The volunteers covered the distance in just four days, not only helping so many people across the country, but also overcoming huge difficulties to get there.
“The best thing about this ride is that the riders have all volunteered their time to do this. They are so enthusiastic about Cambodia and raising money for others in need,” said Claire. “The money raised will feed 99 families in Siem Reap.”
Claire recalled her favorite moment of the experience, when one of the cyclists pushed an exhausted teammate up a hill for 2 miles. “One moment that stood out for me was when Naret, our only female rider, was feeling tired,” she said. “Her fellow rider gently put his hand on her back and pushed her for 2 miles! They were encouraging each other to push through the tiredness.”
1. Why did Claire and eight Cambodians cycle 155 miles?| A．To challenge themselves. | B．To help out needy people. |
| C．To take part in a competition. | D．To raise money for the disabled. |
| A．She might be injured on the road. | B．She would be unable to lead the team. |
| C．Her team might be looked down on. | D．Her team couldn’t finish the route. |
| A．Confident, calm and friendly. | B．Honest, patient and open-minded. |
| C．Strong-minded, brave and caring. | D．Curious, creative and experienced. |
| A．It could have taken less time. |
| B．It was amazing and inspiring. |
| C．It changed her idea about human nature. |
| D．It was more difficult than she had expected. |
4 . I went to a small and poor elementary school. I remember the first time a computer showed up in class. It was 5th grade and the computer was an Apple. It was the only computer in my school. This was the 80s and it was a $2600 machine.
Before I discovered computers, I took typing class on old typewriters and I was the kid in class that repaired the typewriters. I remember spending hours trying to figure out what each typewriter needed to fix a stuck key. I was also the Audio/Visual geek （狂热的人）. This meant I was the only one in the class who can thread （穿过）film onto the projector.
Anyway, when this Apple showed up, I immediately opened it. I had to see what was inside. This totally freaked out the teacher but it seemed clear I wasn't going to break it. I quickly learned how to get out of educational games and write things in BASIC. This was all in 5th grade.
I and my 5th grade teacher stayed in touch until her passing. I honestly don't know what I'd be doing if she hadn't done something extraordinary. She let my father and me took the Apple home. I'd spend the weekend programming, reading the massive notebooks. This was a $ 2000+computer in the middle of the 80s — the pride of the school —and they let me take it home. A year later, I came home from school one day and the family car was gone and there was a Commodore 64 left in its place. My parents had sold the car and bought a Commodore.
Now, I think about this crazy journey. I am standing on the shoulders not only of computer science giants, but also heroes like my parents and my 5th grade teacher. Thanks Mrs. Hill, for introducing me to computers even though you were breaking rules. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for bringing a computer home even when there wasn't money for one.
1. What can we learn about the author from paragraph 2?| A．He was a hard-working student. |
| B．His family was too poor to buy him a computer. |
| C．He had already had some skills to operate a computer. |
| D．He was one of the clever ones who could handle a computer. |
| A．Frightened. | B．Interested. | C．Amused. | D．Annoyed. |
| A．Thoughtful. | B．Grateful. | C．Relaxed. | D．Anxious. |
| A．Why We Need Computers | B．How I Learned to Use a Computer |
| C．How I Got My First Computer | D．Thanks For Giving Me a Computer |
5 . Michael Ha has a better understanding of the sentence “Where there is a will,there is a way.” Now he is 22 years old and has become an example of young people because of his story of success.
Michael Ha was born in a very poor family.His parents worked in Vietnam before they moved to Britain in 1980.They couldn’t find jobs in Britain because they spoke little English.The whole family had to live on benefits (救济金) and they lived in a small house in Hackney,a poor area in East London.Growing up is not easy for Michael,but he never gave up.
At the age of ten, he set his heart on going to Cambridge University. It was not easy, either. Michael studied at a school, which used to be called “the worst school in Britain”. However,young Michael made up his mind to try his best,no matter what kind of school he was studying at.
The smart boy studied very hard and did well in every subject at school.Once he made a bet(打赌) with his friend to learn further math.As a result,after just spending four months teaching himself from a textbook,he got an A in further math.
Now Michael is the star medical student in John’s College, Cambridge and has just won an award for his excellent grades. He hopes he will be an example for other young people from poor family.
1. What do we know about Michael Ha’s family according to the passage？| A．They lived in a poor area without any help. |
| B．They made a living with the help of the government in Vietnam. |
| C．Michael Ha’s parents had no jobs because of their little experience. |
| D．His family was very poor and lived on benefits. |
| A．He won an award in his middle school because of hard work. |
| B．Though very young, he decided to go to Cambridge University. |
| C．He was good at making bets with other students. |
| D．His best subjects in school were maths and history. |
| A．English. | B．Geography. |
| C．Medicine. | D．History. |
| A．How to deal with the difficulties |
| B．How to become a good student |
| C．From a poor area to Britain |
| D．From “the worst school” to Cambridge University |
6 . Once upon a time, there lived a rich man.He had a servant (仆人) .He and the servant loved wine and good food very much.Each time the rich man left his home, the servant would drink the wine and eat up all the nice food in the house.The rich man knew what his servant did, but he had never caught his servant doing that.
One morning, when he left home, he said to the servant, “Here are two bottles of poison (毒药) and some nice food in the house. You must take care of them.” With these words, he went out.But the servant knew that the rich man had said was untrue.After the rich man was away from his home, he enjoyed a nice meal.Because he drank too much, he was drunk and fell to the ground.When the rich man came back, he couldn’t find his food and his wine.He became very angry.He woke the servant up.But the servant told his story very well.He said a cat had eaten up everything.He was afraid to be punished, so he drank the poison to kill himself.
1. In the story, _______ liked wine and good food very much.| A．the rich man | B．the servant |
| C．both A and B | D．neither A and B |
| A．the cat | B．himself | C．nobody | D．the servant |
| A．there was in fact poison in the bottles |
| B．did not want the servant to drink his wine |
| C．he wanted to kill the cat |
| D．he wanted to kill the servant |
7 . "Smile!" I shouted, holding a yellow sign up on a busy street in Seattle. We were three thousand miles away from home on a Random Acts of Kindness and Volunteerism Road Trip. We had two aims. One was to try out our new "Smile!" signs and see how much kindness and joy we could spread in Pike Place Market. The other was to raise $80 by doing street performances, enough for gas to Portland and a small hotel room.
We weren't sure how people would react (回应) to our signs. I nervously raised up our signs and shouted, "Hi, there!" to a young couple. They looked over and felt confused. Then they read our signs and broke into a smile. Before long, some tourists wanted to take a photo with us and some strangers stopped to ask us about our signs.
In fact, we paid so close attention to our "Smile!" project that we forgot the other aim. Before we knew it, the sun was setting, and we had no money for our trip to Portland. We sat down to watch a blind musician play the guitar while thinking about what to do. He was packing up when a passing crowd kicked down his change bowl. He stumbled (绊倒) into the crowd. We rushed to help him, but another man moved more quickly to help him.
Once the musician had his money safely returned, we ran over to meet the strange helper and said, "We just wanted to praise you for your good deed." He smiled, looking at our signs. "Your trip reminds me of something similar I once did when I was young," he said. "Look! I'd like to donate (捐赠)." We told him, "No, thanks! We are fine. We've collected plenty of money." We lied. "Please let me donate. It will make me feel like I'm a part of this adventure," he insisted. And then the stranger opened his wallet and pulled out four $20 bills. The money was exactly what we had intended to raise that day. We were astonished. It seemed as if he had known somehow.
1. What's the main purpose of the road trip?| A．To spread kindness and joy. |
| B．To invite more people to join in the trip. |
| C．To raise money for a trip to Portland. |
| D．To encourage people to take happy photos. |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Worried. | C．Interested. | D．Moved. |
| A．Because he felt pity for the author. |
| B．Because he wanted to join in the project. |
| C．Because he hoped to help the homeless. |
| D．Because he felt sorry for his impoliteness. |
| A．Tired. | B．Satisfied. | C．Frightened. | D．Surprised. |
8 . A ship was wrecked(遭遇沉船) during storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small island.
The two survivors, also good friends, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other choice but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they divided the land between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree beside him and he ate its fruit. The other man's land remained barren(贫瘠的).
After a week, the first man was lonely so he prayed for a wife. The next day, another ship was completely destroyed, and the only woman survivor soon became his wife. On the other side of the island, there was still nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house clothes and more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for ship. In the morning, he found ship at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island behind, because he considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"
“My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them,” the first man answered. “His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.”
“You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him. “He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings.”
“Tell me,” the first man asked with great curiosity, “What did he pray for that should owe him anything?”
“He prayed that all your prayers be answered.”
1. It can be learned from the passage that .| A．the men prayed for each other selflessly |
| B．the first man was a reliable and devoted friend |
| C．the men stayed separated to test the power of their prayers |
| D．the men got along well with each other on the island |
| A．It was his prayers that helped his friend get out of trouble. |
| B．He lost heart in trouble so he deserves no God's blessings |
| C．His wife was another survivor sent by God to keep him company. |
| D．He lost his chances since he was not brave enough to show his needs |
| A．Ignored. | B．Criticized. | C．Requested. | D．Forgave. |
| A．A friend in need is friend indeed |
| B．A life without a friend is a life without a sun. |
| C．Our blessings are the fruits of our prayers alone. |
| D．Helping others is more important than helping yourself. |
9 . When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Doctor Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard, but was always very kind.
When Doctor Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. He had some interesting theories about planting trees. He hardly watered his new trees, an attitude which flew in the face of conventional wisdom.
Once I asked why and he told me that watering plants spoiled them because it made them grow weaker. He said he had to make things tough for the trees so that only the strongest could survive. He talked about how watering trees made them develop shallow roots and how, if they were not watered, trees would grow deep roots in search of water.
So, instead of watering his trees every morning, he’d beat them with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the trees’ attention.
Doctor Gibbs died a couple of years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I'd watched him plant some 25 years ago. They were tall and strong.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I often pray that their lives will be easy. But lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to encounter hardship. There’s always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won’t be torn apart.
1. What did the author think of Doctor Gibbs’s planting trees at first?| A．Perfect . | B．Puzzled. |
| C．Amused. | D．Impractical . |
| A．He let them grow quickly. |
| B．He beat them to get their attention. |
| C．He helped them search for water. |
| D．He read a newspaper near them. |
| A．Kind and wise. | B．Calm and brave. |
| C．Careful and ambitious | D．Strict and devoted. |
| A．Elders are treasures. |
| B．Two heads are better than one. |
| C．A man without distant care must have near sorrow. |
| D．Only those who bear the most become the highest. |
10 . My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s(老年痴呆症) last summer.Suddenly, it was difficult for me to accept that the roles were now reversed-my mother became my child, and I became her mother.I became impatient, argued with her, once I even yelled at her.Gradually, I was used to this kind of life.Now I am able to deal with her and the situation better.I have learned a lot of life lessons from the experience.
My mother reacts very sensitively to my feelings.That is typical of Alzheimer’s patients.When I visit her, feeling busy and tense, she reacts immediately, takes on my mood, and becomes nervous and negative.But when I appear cheerful and attentive, she is happy.This has taught me to pay more attention to my own feelings when I am with other people.
I was thought I was very tolerant( 容 忍 的 ), but in reality, my tolerance ran out as soon as someone turned away from what I considered “right”.With my mother I can now really be tolerant.Through her illness she has developed a childlike tactlessness(不得体).Eating out in restaurants, for example, is a bit embarrassing when she shouts at the waiter that the food is so bad or talks about people at the next table in a loud voice.Of course I make sure that my mother doesn’t offend(冒犯) anyone, but I’ve stopped complaining about others and have become more tolerant.
I have also learned that everything has special value.When my mother got sick, I didn’t want to burden my two daughters with it.They are young and have enough going on with their education and starting their careers.I felt that it was simply my job as my mother’s daughter.The most wonderful discovery I’ve made through my mother’s disease may be that my children not only offer to help me when they sense that I’m feeling overwhelmed, but that they take care of my mother on their own initiative(主动地).They visit her often, play cards with her, and look at photo albums together with her.It shows me that it’s all worth it.
1. Which of the following is common behavior of Alzheimer’s patients?| A．Curiosity about everything. | B．Sensitivity to other’s moods. |
| C．Fear of strange people. | D．Quick reaction. |
| A．concerned | B．scared | C．embarrassed | D．stressed |
| A．the writer accepted the role change immediately |
| B．the writer only paid attention to her mother’s feelings |
| C．the writer has a great sense of responsibility |
| D．the daughters took over the responsibility to look after their grandmother |
| A．how I cared for my sick mother |
| B．how I became more tolerant |
| C．what I have learned from my mother’s illness |
| D．why I am feeling overwhelmed |
