1 . Once upon a time, a daughter complained to her father that her life was unhappy and that she was tired of struggling all the time.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes, eggs and coffee beans in them. After 20 minutes, he took them out, putting the potatoes and eggs in a bowl and the coffee in a cup.
Turning to his daughter, he said, “Look closer, and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee. Its good smell brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked. He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans were in the same adversity (逆境) — the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently.
The strong and hard potato became soft and weak in boiling water. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. “Which one do you want to be like,” he asked. “When adversity knocks on your door, how will you respond?”
In life, challenges happen to us all, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.
1. What can we infer from this story?| A．The girl liked the coffee best. |
| B．The father was good at cooking. |
| C．The girl didn’t like the potatoes and eggs. |
| D．Different people have different reactions to adversity. |
| A．thick | B．hard | C．strong | D．easily-broken |
| A．Challenges and responses. | B．Adversities and a chef. |
| C．A chef and coffee beans. | D．Father and daughter. |
2 . An unpleasant smell floated into my nose as the bowl of fried stinky tofu settled onto my grandmother’s dinner table. I immediately sat back. The smell ruined my appetite, and I pushed the dish away.
“It’s supposed to stink. Just give it a try!” my grandmother said.
Holding my breath, I unwillingly took a bite. To my surprise, the tofu beneath the fried skin was warm, soft, and mouthwatering. Thus, stinky tofu became more than a household tradition. It became my favorite dish.
Along with the stinky tofu, I would meet my Uncle Chan on every visit. As an immature boy, I never understood my uncle’s condition of Down syndrome(唐氏综合征).He was an unfriendly and terrible creature in my eyes. He constantly walked around the house, talking to himself. Whenever he was within view, I would run away in fear.
However, one day, my view of my uncle suddenly changed. I was just getting out of my bed when I heard soft steps approaching. It was my uncle. My muscles froze. He slowly sat next to me and touched my face gently, as a mother would stroke (抚摸)a baby. A wide smile emerged from his blank expression. How beautiful his smile was! I could not help but smile back. My fear disappeared gradually, and my muscles relaxed.
My uncle very much resembles stinky tofu. Stinky tofu smells unpleasant on the outside, yet feels warm and soft in the inside. Like stinky tofu, my uncle’s Down syndrome made me keep my distance at first. Yet, I learned that deep inside, he is harmless and has a loving nature.
The outside and inside of the stinky tofu exist as two extremely different worlds. Perhaps that is what makes it such a tasty dish. Not only is it delicious, stinky tofu offers a valuable lesson: never judge people at first glance, for true beauty comes from the inside.
1. Why did stinky tofu become the author’s favorite dish?| A．It was related to family tradition. | B．It turned out to be quite delicious. |
| C．Grandma encouraged him to try it. | D．His appetite for food had increased. |
| A．Chan’s footsteps woke up the author |
| B．Chan showed his friendliness to the author |
| C．Chan displayed his love towards his mother |
| D．Chan’s blank expression made the author smile |
| A．To highlight the nature of Uncle Chan | B．To analyze the family relationship |
| C．To describe a childhood memory | D．To introduce a traditional Chinese food |
| A．We shouldn’t judge by appearances. | B．A person’s taste changes over time. |
| C．Blood is thicker than water. | D．You are what you eat. |
3 . Lots of kids like to talk about sports, but Joseph D’Avirro talks about sports like a professional host in a show called Sliders & Curveballs. The 9-year-old from Newington, Connecticut is a natural at sports talk and has been broadcasting the show—which is about baseball, basketball and other sports—with his dad, Mike D’Avirro, since September 2019.
The D’Avirro started the broadcast after two former college roommates of Mike died, which made Mike want to spend more time with his son. Then the idea came to him. So far, they have done about 50 programs. Joseph’s favorite is when the father-and-son team interviewed Jim Calhoun, the coach leading the Connecticut Huskies to three national titles. They have also interviewed important sports authors.
The father and son make about one 30- to 40-minute podcast each month. They prepare for the podcasts by deciding on the questions they want to ask the guest. Joseph asks half of the questions, and Mike handles the other half. Joseph reads his questions again and again to get them in his brain well. It is a lot of work, but Joseph says it is “a lot more fun than homework”. Joseph has also learned to speak up and speak clearly. He has to listen and to go with the flow of the conversation. For example, he said, “If the guest is talking about sports in the 1990s, you have to think about sports in the 1990s.”
When asked how long he and his dad will continue doing the show, he answered, “Until my dad starts growing gray hairs.” Joseph has other ambitions when he grows up—to be a sports player, a sports broadcaster or to own a basketball team. Those are big dreams, but Joseph is already living a dream: talking sports and spending time with his dad.
1. What is Joseph’s show about?| A．Some talk shows on sports. |
| B．Ways to get along with parents. |
| C．Stories about famous sports players. |
| D．Sports that his family loves playing. |
| A．His son’s talent for sports. |
| B．His wish to be a host since college. |
| C．The deaths of his college roommates. |
| D．The encouragement from his roommates. |
| A．It’s as boring as homework. |
| B．It’s challenging to his brain. |
| C．It takes a lot of time but means a lot. |
| D．It’s more interesting than homework. |
| A．A rising sports broadcaster |
| B．A long road to go to success |
| C．The father-and-son team hosts |
| D．Joseph D’Avirro’s big dream |
4 . After I made it to the city center, I started to feel it might be easy for a foreigner to deal with the great size of Beijing. With growing confidence, I decided to take the subway to the hotel, not realizing that the network didn’t go that far. Impressed with the cleanliness of the station, I bought a ticket and boarded the first subway that came along.
After a few minutes I asked in English a young man seated next to me where I should get off closest to the Friendship Hotel. Wearing a smart business suit and tie, he would surely speak English, wouldn’t he? Unfortunately, he couldn’t understand me but seemed very friendly. I showed him the room card with all the information of the Friendship Hotel in Chinese characters. He looked at it, and then his eyes moved quickly to the carriage (车厢) subway map. Next, he raised three fingers of his right hand.
In Australia, raising fingers at someone is not usually nice, but this man wasn’t smiling. At the next station he showed me two fingers. Now in Australia, that’s really rude, but I got the message. When we stopped at the third station, he didn’t just point to the door, but got up, took me out of the train, and led me to the top of the stairs, and out onto the street. Then he stopped a taxi and told the driver where to take me.
All this came from a man who couldn’t speak my language, and I couldn’t speak his. I was now speechless, especially when he refused my offer of money. I felt a little embarrassed having even thought he would accept a tip.
This experience made it clear I had to learn some Chinese quickly or my adventures might start turning into misadventures.
1. Why does the author decided to take the subway?| A．Because he believed in his ability to deal with the trip |
| B．Because the network covered most of the stops |
| C．Because he lived near the city center |
| D．Because he had a good impression of its cleanliness |
| A．still remained puzzled | B．understood the author well |
| C．answered the author directly | D．pointed at the subway map |
| A．helpful. | B．impolite. | C．warm-hearted. | D．responsible. |
| A．To prove the importance of being careful |
| B．To introduce a young man who didn’t know English |
| C．To complain some cultural misunderstanding |
| D．To describe one of his adventurous experiences |
5 . An early morning winter storm had brought several inches of snow to my small town in the mountains. Schools were canceled, roads were dangerous and all I wanted to do was to stay in bed. However, I knew I had to get the day started so I put on warm clothes and walked outside. The snow got all over my shoes. The cold wind dried my lips and my eyes. My 47-year-old back ached in anticipation (预想) of the shoveling (铲雪) I would have to do if the snow didn’t stop soon.
Yet, when I looked out on the white blanket that covered the ground, I couldn’t help but smile a bit. It was so beautiful. It softened the bare trees and hid the dead grass. In the distance I could hear the sound of the snowplow on the road, the barking of a happy dog and the laughter of children playing outside, enjoying their day off from school. The sweet music of that laughter brought back a hundred memories of winters past. I remembered catching snowflakes on my tongue, building snowmen, making snow angels, running down hills and always losing snowball fights with first my brothers and then my own children. Standing there in that warm coat of memories made the wind a little less cold and my back a little less sore. I turned up my head, stuck out my tongue and for the first time in years caught a snowflake on it. It tasted so fresh and clean. It tasted like youth, like joy and like love.
May you always feel young in spirit, no matter how old or achy your body may be. May you always delight in the simple joys of life. May you always share your happiness with the hearts of children. And may you always give your love, your light, your laughter and your warmth to others even on the coldest days.
1. What was the author’s first reaction when he knew it snowed heavily？| A．He felt happy. | B．He was upset. | C．He was moved. | D．He felt in danger. |
| A．felt too cold because the snow didn’t stop |
| B．liked to start his day on such a snowy day |
| C．ached in his back because of the cold weather |
| D．would make greater efforts to clear up the snow |
| A．Taste and smell. | B．Sight and smell. |
| C．Sight, hearing and taste. | D．Smell, hearing and taste. |
| A．We should always stay young at heart. |
| B．Snow brings both fun and trouble to humans. |
| C．Memories can change our opinion in all aspects. |
| D．Appreciate every moment spent with your family. |
6 . Two weeks ago, a 5-year-old girl named Sunshine Oelfke emptied out her piggy bank (存钱罐) onto the living room floor and immediately started counting. Her grandmother, Jackie Oelfke, thought she was playing as she carefully lined up the coins, but then she saw the girl put the coins into a plastic bag and place it in her backpack.
“What are you doing with that money?” Jackie asked her granddaughter.
“I’m taking it to school,” Sunshine replied. “I’m going to take it for milk money. My friend Layla doesn’t get milk— her mom doesn’t have milk money and I do.”
Jackie’s heart melted at Sunshine’s words. Choked with strong feelings, Jackie held her sweet granddaughter tightly in her arms.
Last week, Jackie and Sunshine met with her teacher, Rita Hausher, and handed her the $30 the kindergartner had saved. There are 20 kids in Sunshine’s class and about half don’t get milk. It costs $ 0.45 a carton (纸盒). The total adds up to about $180 a month for every child in the class to have milk every day.
After dropping Sunshine off at school, Jackie posted a tearful video on Facebook to explain her granddaughter’s plan. To her surprise, many people offered to donate toward the cause. Within a week, Jackie raised more than $1,000. Now every student in Sunshine’s class can get free milk for the rest of the year.
Jackie said Sunshine doesn’t see her kind act as a big deal. She was just trying to look out for her friends. “She doesn’t understand the effect she’s brought about,” Jackie said. “But now she knows she can do whatever she puts her mind to.”
1. Why did Sunshine empty her piggy bank?| A．She hoped to show off her savings in class. | B．She needed to train her counting skills. |
| C．She wanted to play with the coins. | D．She intended to pay for her friend’s milk. |
| A．Relieved. | B．Touched. | C．Curious. | D．Proud. |
| A．Two heads are better than one. | B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. | D．There’s no such thing as a free lunch. |
| A．Small Coins, Big Changes. | B．Jackie’s Piggy Bank. |
| C．Piggy Bank and Carton Milk. | D．A Moved Grandmother. |
7 . It was New Year time, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. That winter, my mother and my stepfather moved our family to Southern California. My brother and I were leaving our rural Alabama behind. This would be our first New Year away from Alabama. My mother took to California like a swan to a royal lake. My athletic little brother, Paul, was excited at a climate that allowed him to go to the beach whenever he wanted.
I, however, was a fat child with a heavy southern pronunciation. My first day in the new class, I introduced myself in a low voice. All I said was my name and where I was from. The class burst into laughter. “He talks funnily.” I was so helpless that I went to a place to call Granny Smith after school, who was my biggest support. But I didn’t get through.
On Sunday evening, the phone rang. It was Granny. She often took advantage of the discounted long-distance rates on Sundays. She said she’d shipped a New Year package. Sure enough, it arrived. Surprised at the box, large enough to hold a small refrigerator, we eagerly tore it open. The smell of Granny’s house filled the room: a combination of fried meat, sausages, furniture polish and decorations. Her house was tiny and always filled with tacky holiday decorations and homemade food before New Year. But in my childhood eyes, it was precious and fantastic.
There were countless tins and containers. We opened them to discover piles of holiday treats. She even included our traditional candy bars. The box was as bottomless as a magical box. There, beneath all these, was my familiar holiday.
Every New Year that we spent in California, the postal service would call and say our package arrived. Over the years, many treasures arrived in the box. For me, it’s always been the best part of the holiday.
1. How did he author’s brother feel when they were moving to California?| A．Unconcerned. | B．Joyful. | C．Grateful. | D．Upset. |
| A．He had a strong accent. | B．He made a humorous talk. |
| C．He looked overweight. | D．He spoke in a very low voice. |
| A．Suitable. | B．Large. | C．Cheap. | D．Attractive. |
| A．Granny’s Care Package | B．An Unforgettable Holiday |
| C．Our Move to California | D．A Telephone Call from Granny |
8 . Getting out of my car one evening in late January, I met my neighbor Theresa, who had seen me drive in. “Mrs Taylor is in the hospital again,” she said. “I thought you’d like to know.” I had last seen Mrs Taylor a day or two before Christmas when I took her a little loaf of pumpkin bread, and she came from the backroom in her wheelchair to talk with me. Mrs Taylor and I had been neighbors for 17 years. I remember the dog she and her husband used to have. They called him Beau. He greeted everyone who walked by, and Mr Taylor loved him.
Most of my conversations with Mrs Taylor had been incidental — visits by the mailbox, running into one another at the gas station where she helped me put air in my tire, quiet talks at the funeral home where we went to honor the memory of a mutual (相互的) friend.
When my husband and I moved here with our four noisy, laughing kids, it must have seemed as if the peaceful quiet of the neighborhood had been forever broken. But we showed our enthusiasm to the neighbors sincerely although we had little in common with the mostly elderly folks on our street. Over the years they helped us love our children, picking them up when a bicycle overturned and sending the kids cards for their graduation. We have enjoyed the comfort of living beside people who help us if our tree falls on the fence and feed the cat when we’re away.
Mrs Taylor did not survive her latest set-back. Once again I walked into the funeral home to say good-bye to a neighbor. I remembered the barking dog, the chats by the mailbox, the friendly wave across the fence. I remembered, and I was sad, but I had no regrets. Now there is a new family moving into the Taylor place. I see children’s toys in the yard. It’s time to take a walk.
1. What can we know according to the first paragraph?| A．Mrs Taylor has a big and happy family. |
| B．The author likes Mrs Taylor’s dog very much. |
| C．The author would like to know Mrs Taylor is in the hospital. |
| D．Mrs Taylor had been in poor health before Theresa told the author. |
| A．Helpful. | B．Unprepared. | C．Unpleasant. | D．Delightful. |
| A．She let her children be less noisy and naughty. |
| B．She tried to know more elderly folks in her street. |
| C．She treated everyone in the neighborhood warmly. |
| D．She enjoyed the comfort of living beside neighbors. |
| A．The True Neighbor | B．Gratitude to my neighbor |
| C．Mrs Taylor — A Respectable Woman | D．Expectation for New Neighbor |
9 . I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Seeing what Mother was doing, I thought that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
My mother was a kind person, who always showed her love on me in action. However, as a little girl, I only wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter. But such talks never happened. I was sad about it and often rude to her, eager to start a new life somewhere else.
When I had my own family, I came to understand mother’s love. So I wrote to mother and asked if she’d forgiven my rudeness. Then, I posted the letter and waited for her answer, but it never came. I felt disappointed and slowly didn’t care too much about it.
Years later, during mother’s final illness, she left some things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she said in a weak voice, “is specially for Elizabeth.” When I cleaned the desk-her present for me, I found a one — page letter inside, folded many times. It was the letter that I wrote years ago.
Then, tears came down, “Oh, dear mom, you’ve chosen the silent act to show you did forgive me and always be proud of my writing. Thank you for your silent love. I love you forever!”
1. According to the author, the most wonderful thing in the world must be the act of__________.| A．reading | B．cooking |
| C．writing | D．dancing |
| A．Arm-in-arm walks with her mother. | B．Face-to-face talks with her mother. |
| C．Hand-in-hand walks with her mother. | D．Heart-to-heart talks with her mother. |
| A．Elizabeth. | B．Elizabeth’s son. |
| C．Elizabeth’s sister. | D．Elizabeth’s brother. |
| A．In words. | B．In action. |
| C．By music. | D．By painting. |
10 . In my memory, my dad always encouraged me to be my best self, explore the world, and believe in those who cared and loved me, which helped to make me who I am today. Besides, I’ve grown up with a pretty good model that my father always was.
One year, my father nearly lost his life. He was twenty-seven years old then. For several months, he’d been suffering from stomach pains. My dad was a former track star, so he knew how to handle pain. Convinced it was nothing serious, he just made a face until it was over whenever it flared up. My mom and dad were visiting his parents in Englewood, New Jersey when extreme pain struck my dad again. However, that time, the pain didn’t fade away although my father tried to take control of it. Meanwhile, my dad developed a high fever. My grandparents rushed him to a nearby hospital. The doctors in the emergency room were confused about his condition. My dad’s symptoms seemed consistent with appendicitis (阑尾炎), but the pain wasn’t localized to the lower part of his stomach, where the appendix (阑尾) is located. While they were debating what to do, a 33-year-old surgeon named Dr. Ibrahim, spoke up, “It must be an appendix.” Dr. Ibrahim guessed it was a rare condition and insisted that my dad should receive an operation immediately, although others were against his decision.
Dr. Ibrahim turned out to be very correct. My dad was wheeled into surgery and his appendix was removed just before it could burst and cause a deadly infection. At last, he got rid of danger.
What if my father hadn’t been in Englewood that day? What if young Dr. Ibrahim hadn’t considered? He was in the right place at the right time, and it saved his life. Now I am a father of two children. Like my father I will never forget Dr. Ibrahim.
1. What can we know about the author’s father?| A．He was in poor health in his younger days. |
| B．He seldom helped the author overcome troubles. |
| C．He set a good example to the author. |
| D．He liked to learn from others to improve himself. |
| A．To show off his father’s achievements. |
| B．To prove his father’s strong will power. |
| C．To emphasize the importance of taking exercise. |
| D．To explain why his father always suffered pains. |
| A．broke out suddenly. | B．slid quietly. |
| C．stayed for a while | D．disappeared gradually. |
| A．It was boring but beneficial. | B．It was terrible and disappointing. |
| C．It was interesting and unforgettable. | D．It was dangerous but fortunate. |
