1 . Chen Yuzhu, a 29-year-old young man, opened his first Chinese beef rice noodles restaurant in 2014 in the neighborhood of New York City’s Queens borough. He then took the flavor of his childhood memory to three other states in the US, building a recognized brand.
Actually, he started his own catering (餐饮) business after he lost his job and found noway out. It was at that time that beef rice noodles of his home village flashed in his mind.
However, the early days of setting up his business were not that easy. He frequently worked 18 hours a day, transported food at 2 am and promoted (推销) the restaurant near the New York City subway entrance by yelling, “Special noodles from my hometown, Guizhou!” But it didn’t work well. During the first two weeks. daily sales were only $200 at most, which wasn’t enough to pay the rent. He felt so anxious that he tried every possible means. Two months later, his Chinese beef rice noodles finally gained great popularity. His store has become hot spots for vloggers (视频博主) and he has made himself famous among locals as the“Rice Noodle Prince”.
“At first, running restaurants was for survival, but then I felt a sense of achievements. I became more open, inclusive and made a lot of friends. And the process to learn, make efforts and get inspired was really cool.” Chen said.
1. For what purpose did Chen Yuzhu plan to open the restaurant at first?| A．To make a living. | B．To promote special Chinese food. |
| C．To become very wealthy. | D．To gain popularity. |
| A．Shy. | B．Cautious. | C．Generous. | D．Determined. |
| A．Chen Yuzhu sold noodles at the New York City subway entrance. |
| B．The noodles were rather welcome during the first two weeks. |
| C．Chen Yuzhu met with a lot of difficulties when he started his business. |
| D．The noodles Chen Yuzhu sold were delivered from Guizhou. |
| A．Chen Yuzhu has made a lot of Chinese friends. |
| B．Making a lot of money is due to his family’s support. |
| C．Chen Yuzhu has really benefited a lot from his business. |
| D．Chen Yuzhu wants to open more restaurants in the future. |
2 . The past few years have been difficult for 13-year-old Adeola Abraham. In 2020, the teen was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder, and he survived a successful bone marrow transplant (骨髓移植) and rounds of chemotherapy (化疗). Thankfully, Adeola is now out of the hospital. During his recovery, he found out that he had qualified for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ask for a dream wish from Make-A-Wish Mississippi. While many teens would choose a memorable Disney trip, meet a favorite figure or get a PlayStation, Abraham instead chose to feed the homeless in his local community.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is famous for brightening the lives of children suffering from critical illnesses by meeting their wishes. A wish typically falls into three categories: a wish to have something, go somewhere or meet someone. Abraham’s charitable wish to give came as a surprise to the organization. Linda Sermons, a Make-A-Wish Mississippi representative, said that Abraham’s generous wish was the first of its kind in the organization’s 35-year history. She was impressed with the teen’s maturity and sense of sympathy.
Make-A-Wish Mississippi approved of the teen’s wish in a big way. They created a service named after the teen, called Abraham’s Table, which would provide free meals to the homeless every month for the next year. Local businesses generously donated food and supplies, and receivers gathered in Jackson’s Poindexter Park for the meals. Abraham and his proud mom personally attended and handed out the food. Abraham’s Table fed more than 80 people at its first event. Abraham said it warmed his heart when the receivers came back to thank him for the meal he provided.
Abraham now wants to inspire other teens to get more involved in local charities. He also wants to continue his mission of helping others by starting his own nonprofit that helps those experiencing food insecurity.
1. What made Abraham a remarkable boy?| A．His exceptional choice for a dream wish. | B．His great sufferings from a critical disease. |
| C．His special qualifications for a dream wish. | D．His successful survival from a blood disorder. |
| A．Eighty people or so benefited from Abraharn’s Table. |
| B．Abraham’s act of kindness received positive reaction. |
| C．The organization provided financial help for the homeless. |
| D．The local businesses were greatly appreciated by the receivers. |
| A．Energetic and determined. | B．Mature and intelligent. |
| C．Sympathetic and selfless. | D．Generous and cautious. |
| A．Hard work always pays off. | B．It’s a blessing to be a giver. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. | D．Miracles often occur in bad luck. |
3 . More than 25 years ago, Saroo Brierley was one of many poor children in rural India. One day, he played with his brother along the rail line and fell asleep. When be woke up, finding himself alone, the 4-year-old decided his brother might be on the train he saw in front of him—so he got on.
That train took him across the country to a totally strange city, where he did not speak the language. He lived on the streets, and then in an orphanage (孤儿院). There, he was adopted by an Australian family and flown to Tasmania.
As he writes in bis new book, A Long Way Home, Brierley couldn’t help but wonder about his hometown back in India. He remembered landmarks, but since he didn’t know his town’s name, finding a small neighborhood in a vast country seemed to be impossible.
Then he found Google Earth—a digital mapping program. He spent years searching for his hometown in the program’s satellite pictures. In 2011, he came across something familiar. He studied it and realized be was looking at a town’s central business district from a bird’s-eye view. He thought, “On the right-band side you should see the three-platform train station”—and there it was. “And on the left-hand side you should see a big fountain”—and there it was.
Everything just started to match.
When he stood in front of the house where he grew up as a child, be saw a lady standing in the entrance. “There’s something about me,” be thought—and it took him a few seconds but he finally remembered what she used to look like.
“My mother looked so much shorter than I remembered. But she came forth and walked forward, and I walked forward, and my feelings and tears and the chemical in my brain, you know, it was like a nuclear fusion (核聚变). I just didn’t know what to say, because I never thought seeing my mother would ever come true. And here I am, standing in front of her.”
1. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?| A．Brierley’s mother grew shorter and weaker as she aged. |
| B．There was a mix of feelings when Brierley saw his mother again. |
| C．Brierley kept trying and didn’t give up searching for his hometown. |
| D．Brierley didn’t recognise his mother immediately. |
| A．He was taken away by a foreigner. | B．He was adopted by an Australian family. |
| C．He got on a train by mistake. | D．He got lost while playing in the street. |
| A．By analyzing old pictures. | B．By studying digital maps. |
| C．By spreading his story via his book. | D．By travelling all around India. |
| A．His memory of his hometown. | B．His love for his mother. |
| C．His long way back home. | D．His reunion with his mother. |
4 . When someone is homeless or trying to recover from a natural disaster, they are in need of a lot of the basic life necessities that many of us take for granted (认为……是理所当然的). While people are often encouraged to donate canned goods, not everyone is thinking about things like shoes.
Of course, you can’t go looking for a new job or a home, if you have no shoes to walk in. One woman in Hays, Kansas took this into consideration, and found a way to help hundreds of people.
Payless stores were going out of business, and shoes were selling for as little as $1 per pair, so a woman named Addy Tritt bought out all the remaining shoes at the Hays Payless store—more than 200 pairs—and donated them to flood victims (灾民) in Nebrsska.
Those shoes were then included in a flood relief shipment taken to farmers in Nebraska by Fort Hays State University. Tritt, who recently graduated from FHSU’s human resources program, wanted to “pay it forward”.
“I have been so lucky,” she said. “There have been so many great people in my life who have inspired me. I see so many terrible things in the news. So many people have helped me when I was down. They influenced me so much that I want to help if I can.”
Tritt has a history of charitable (慈善发) acts. She has donated more than 60 bags of school supplies to Hays students, and organized a baby clothes drive and two supply drives for the animal shelter.
“I really feel I have been directed and guided to help people,” she said. “If you can do something for someone else, you need to find a way even if it is a pair of shoes.”
1. How did Tritt help flood victims?| A．By sending some food to them. |
| B．By helping them find new jobs. |
| C．By selling shoes to raise money for them. |
| D．By buying shoes for them. |
| A．Pay ahead of time. | B．Save some money. |
| C．Pass the love. | D．Put forward the plan. |
| A．The low price of shoes. | B．Other people’s influence. |
| C．Ideas from her school. | D．The sad situation of victims. |
| A．Caring. | B．Independent. |
| C．Clever. | D．Brave. |
5 . As the Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Jessica Pels is responsible for managing the content of one of the world’s largest young women’s media brands. Pels has ambitiously navigated her career to the top role relatively quickly, but the path she took wasn’t traditional.
Pels learnt ballet as a child and found her way to New York City dancing for a summer, but eventually gave up dance when she knew she “wasn’t good enough to be a star”. She didn’t give up her dream of working in the big city, though. Pels attended a film school at New York University and as a sophomore (大学二年级), got her first internship at The New Yorker. After graduation in 2008, many brands were in a hiring freeze. But Pels was not affected. She got a job doing communications for a charity.
Six months into her first job, Pels got a job at Glamour Magazine to work for the Editor-in-Chief Cindy Levy. She would turn this first assistant role into her career, and finally found her way to Cosmopolitan, where she became the youngest editor-in-chief in the magazine’s history.
Reflecting on her career and the worst advice she’s ever received, Pels said it was “to say yes to everything”. It was a habit she had to learn to break. And while she acknowledges the importance of seizing opportunities, she doesn’t think that strategically saying “no” would have been a damage to her career.
She remembers the conversation with her boss Kate Lewis that changed her perspective on over-committing. “I had just started at Marie Claire as the digital director, and she said, ‘I worry you’re going to burn out because you’re saying yes to everything and you are acting in such an aggressive way, and you need to take a step back and prioritize.’ And that really changed my life. I thought that was an incredible career moment.”
1. Why did Jessica Pels give up dancing?| A．She wasn’t eager to be a star. |
| B．She didn’t want to practice hard. |
| C．She didn’t think she was a gifted dancer. |
| D．She wanted to take an untraditional career. |
| A．She lost confidence in her future. |
| B．She gave up her hobby of dancing. |
| C．She was employed at The New Yorker. |
| D．She succeeded in landing herself a job. |
| A．She always refused to help others. |
| B．She didn’t seize opportunities in time. |
| C．She didn’t know how to ask for advice. |
| D．She seldom refused others’ requests. |
| A．Creative and generous. | B．Ambitious and determined. |
| C．Humorous and confident. | D．Considerate and energetic. |
On my first job as a sports editor for the Montpelier Leader Enterprise (MLE), I didn’t get a lot of fan mail, so my attention was caught by letter on my desk one morning.
When I opened it, I read: “Sweet piece of writing on the Tigers. Keep up the good work.” It was signed by Don Wolfe, the sports editor. Because I was a teenager, his words couldn’t have been more inspiring. I kept it in my drawer until it got old. Whenever I doubted I had the right stuff to be a writer, I would reread Don’s note and walk on air again.
Later, when I got to know him, I learned that Don made a habit of writing a quick, encouraging note to people in all walks of life. “when I made others feel good about themselves,” he told me, “I feel good, too.”
Over the years, I’ve tried to copy Don and write uplifting words, in a world too often cold and unresponsive, such notes bring warmth.
Why are positive note writers in such short supply? My guess is that people who shy away from the practice are too self-conscious. They are afraid they will be misunderstood. Also, writing takes time; it is far easier to pick up the phone. The drawback(缺点) of phone calls, of course, is that they do not last. And it sounds insincere on the phone. A note attaches more importance to our well-wishing. It is a matter of record, and our words can be read more than once, savored (品味) and treasured, and they bring strength and love to us.
Today I sent а warm letter to my old boss. I don’t know if it will make his day, but it made mine. As my friend Don Wolfe said, “Making others feel good about themselves makes me feel good too.”
1. What does the underlined part “walk on air” in Paragraph 2 probably mean? (No more than 5 words)2. According to the author, why aren’t people willing to write letters? (No more than 15 words)
3. Why did the author write to his old boss? (No more than 15 words)
4. What’s the text mainly about? (No more than 10 words)
5. Have you ever been encouraged by someone? And how? (No more than 20 words)
7 . Over the phone, Jack's mother told him, “Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
“Jack, did you hear me?"
“Oh, sorry, Mum. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack replied.
“You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life,' she said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mum stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.
Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture. Jack stopped suddenly ...
“What's wrong, Jack?” his Mum asked.
“The box is gone," he said.
“What box?" Mum asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever told me was the thing he valued most. Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said.
Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. 'Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days,' the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack s hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life.'
Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved (雕刻): 'Jack, Thanks for your time!- Harold Belser.'
1. What did Mr. Belser do when Jack was a child?| A．He played the role of a father. |
| B．He taught Jack school subjects. |
| C．He sponsored Jack for education. |
| D．He brought Jack longer memories. |
| A．It belonged to Mr. Belser. | B．It remained a mystery to him. |
| C．It was his childhood memory. | D．It was worth a lot of money. |
| A．Take over. | B．Reach for. | C．Pull out. | D．Get back. |
| A．A gold pocket watch is the best gift. |
| B．Good company deserves treasuring. |
| C．Loss of father influences a boy deeply. |
| D．Close neighbors should help each other. |
8 . An 89-year-old man, Manfred Steiner, has reached a goal he spent 20 years working toward and nearly a lifetime thinking about: earning his Ph. D. And now he is a physicist
Steiner values this degree because it is what he always wanted and because he overcame health problems that could have affected his studies. “But I made it, and this was the most satisfactory point in my life, to finish it,” he said.
When he was young, Steiner wanted to become a physicist after reading about Albert Einstein. But his mother and uncle persuaded him that studying medicine would be a better choice. He earned his medical degree in 1955 and moved to the US soon after.
Steiner studied hematology（血液学）at Tufts University and biochemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He became a full professor and led the hematology department at Browns’ medical school from 1985 to 1994. Steiner helped establish a research program in hematology at the University of North Carolina. He directed that program until he retired from medicine in 2000.
Steiner found medical research pleasing, but it was not quite the same as his interest in physics. “It was something like a wish that was never fulfilled, that always stuck in the back of my head,” he said. At age 70, he started taking undergraduate classes.
Physics professor Brad Marston was surprised when Steiner entered his quantum mechanics class. But he became Steiner’s adviser for his dissertation（学位论文）after realizing how serious Steiner was about the subject and how hard he worked. “He has written many papers in medical science, more papers than I’ve written in physics,” Marston said. “One thing that’s really true about Manfred is that he perseveres.”
After the university published a story about Steiner on its website, people across the US contacted him to ask for advice on how to go after their dreams later in life. His advice is: Do what you love to do.
1. Why did Steiner value his degree in physics?| A．Because it solved his health problems. | B．Because it was his long-pursued dream. |
| C．Because it met his mother’s expectation. | D．Because it was inspired by Albert Einstein. |
| A．Steiner’s contributions to teaching. | B．Steiner’s researches after retirement. |
| C．Steiner’s achievements in hematology. | D．Steiner’s performances at Tufts University. |
| A．His taking undergraduate classes at 70. | B．His writing more papers in physics. |
| C．His sticking to becoming a physicist. | D．His being a role model for Americans. |
| A．Active and open-minded. | B．Enthusiastic and easy-going. |
| C．Intelligent and warm-hearted. | D．Perseverant and hard-working. |
9 . In my mind, the effect that experience had on me lasted forever. I was determined to learn swimming at the age of ten. There was a pool, at the K. P.L.B., offering the opportunity. My mother constantly warned against it, and bore fresh in my mind the details of each drowning in the river. But the K. P.L.B. pool was safe.
My fear of water started from childhood. It began when I was four years old and father took me to the beach. There the huge waves knocked me down and swept over me.
The K. P.L.B. pool was quiet. I was afraid of going in all alone, so I sat on the side of the pool to wait for others. Then came a big boy. He yelled, "Hi, Skinny! How'd you like to be ducked?" With that he picked me up and threw me into the deep end. I landed in a sitting position, and swallowed water. But I was not frightened out of my wits-when my feet hit the bottom, I would make a big jump, come out of the surface. It seemed a long way down. I gathered all my strength when I landed and made what I thought was a great spring upwards. Then I opened my eyes and saw nothing bur water. I tried to yell but no sound came out. I went down, down, endlessly.
When I came to consciousness, I found myself on the bed in the hospital.
I never went back to the pool. I avoided water whenever I could. This misadventure stayed with me as the years rolled by. It deprived me of the joy of boating and swimming. Finally, I decided to get an instructor. Piece by piece, I practiced hard and finally he built a swimmer. Several months later, the instructor was finished, but I was not. Sometimes the terror would return.
This went on till July. I swam across the Lake Wentworth. Only once did the terror return. When I was in the middle of the lake, I put my face under and saw nothing but bottomless water. I laughed and said, "Well, Mr. Terror, what do you think you can do to me?"
I had conquered my fear of water.
1. Why was the author frightened of water originally?| A．His skill in swimming was very poor. |
| B．An experience of an outing to the beach affected him. |
| C．He had an unpleasant memory of the pool at the age of four |
| D．His mother warmed him about the danger of being drowned |
| A．The experience made him aware that the pool was safe |
| B．While he had no skill in swimming, he struggled to go upwards. |
| C．When he was thrown into water, he knew someone would save him. |
| D．The big boy eagerly wanted to help him to conquer the fear of water. |
| A．Diligent and cautious. | B．Determined and far-sighted. |
| C．Dependable and adaptable. | D．Demanding and courageous. |
| A．A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit. | B．Do one thing at a time, and do well. |
| C．Deed divides beings into lower and higher ones. | D．Success always comes from daring to challenge. |
10 . On February 22, 2021, cancer survivor Hayley Areeneaux was selected to be one of four crew members of the SpaceX Inspiration4 — the world’s first civilian astronaut mission. The 29-year-old will make history as the youngest American — and the first with a false limb — to travel to space.
Hayley’s space dreams began two decades ago, however, the young girl’s dreams were derailed a year later when she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma — a type of bone cancer. Fortunately, the fatal disease had been caught early and the experts at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis were able to reduce its spread through chemotherapy. Arceneaux said she never thought she would be able to go to space. But when the call came “out of the blue” from Jared Isaacman, CEO and founder of Shift4 Payments, asking her if she would like to go to space, she said without hesitation, “Yes, yes, absolutely!”
Isaacman had always intended to go to space. Hence when SpaceX announced the world’s first all-commercial astronaut mission, the 37-year-old billionaire, instantly booked the available four seats. The flying enthusiast announced that he would donate three seats to members of the general public. Hayley, the first crew member to be announced, will represent the pillar (支柱) of “hope” — a nod to her survival of cancer and frontline work as a physician at St. Jude. The remaining passengers, representing the pillars of “generosity” and “prosperity”, will be chosen randomly to raise $200 million for St. Jude, which treats children at no charge.
Before the mission launch later this year, the crew will undergo intense training. The mission, which will orbit Earth every 90 minutes, will be carefully monitored by SpaceX mission control scientists from Earth. Upon the mission’s completion, the Dragon will reenter Earth’s atmosphere for a soft water landing off the coast of Florida.
1. What does the underlined phrase “out of the blue” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Sadly. | B．Suddenly. |
| C．Randomly. | D．Strangely. |
| A．To promote his company’s products |
| B．To seek help for disabled children. |
| C．To inspire interests in space travel. |
| D．To raise funds for a cancer hospital. |
| A．Hayley Arceneaux Became The Youngest American travelling in Space |
| B．“The Sky Is Not Even The Limit” For Jared Isaacman |
| C．Cancer Survivor To Become The Youngest American In Space |
| D．Hayley’s Space Dreams Were Derailed By Osteosarcoma |
