1 . Writer Andrew Leland started losing his sight 20 years ago, when he was in high school, as a result of a progressive eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa (色素性视网膜炎). His first experience of loss of sight happened temporarily at night, in which he was confused that everyone else seemed to see in the dark so much better than he did. Over the years, his disease has progressed gradually. He’s now legally blind, although he still has a narrow field of vision, which allows him to see about 6% of what a fully sighted person sees.
Leland analogized his vision to the view you might get by looking through a toilet paper tube or a keyhole. He said, “Imagine having that toilet paper tube tied to your head and trying to walk down the street; there’s a whole bunch of things you don’t see but that you really ought to, like dogs.”
In his new book, The Country of the Blind, Leland writes about losing his vision and preparing for blindness, how his condition impacts his identity, how the world sees him and his marriage, and something valuable he has learned.
He said he was not going to try to tell people that having vision was not an unbelievably useful thing for a human being for many reasons. When talking about the experience of being alive and being conscious, he referred to James Joyce — Joyce believed that he was only losing one world among many, and that vision was only a tiny part of experiences when he was going blind.
He thought if you looked at the things that blind people were capable of imagining, like John Milton writing Paradise Lost as a blind person, there was this unbelievable richness in humans’ consciousness that vision had nothing to do with. Other realms (领域) such as the mental and emotional realms were all so rich that they could also help unfold things on earth before you.
1. What do we know about Leland?| A．He went totally blind in high school. |
| B．He experienced night blindness at first. |
| C．He was born with a narrow field of vision. |
| D．He was aware of his condition throughout. |
| A．Connected. | B．Reduced. | C．Compared. | D．Exposed. |
| A．To help explain an opinion. |
| B．To stress the value of good vision. |
| C．To state his considerable influence. |
| D．To show the inconvenience of blindness. |
| A．Practice is the best teacher. |
| B．The blind have more vivid imagination. |
| C．Things are not set in concrete. |
| D．Vision is not the only window in the world. |
2 . 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. |
3 . How to release your art potential? Traditionally, people may bury themselves in learning painting skills at a studio and begin from drawing lines. However, Maggie Wiebe, a 21-year-old girl from Stamps School of Art& Design at the University of Michigan, has her own method.
Wiebe and her school friend Jessie Rice are trying to do something that shows their love for art and also benefits the environment. For the past year or so, they have tended a garden at their campus farm, planting a variety of colorful flowers, as well as flax (亚麻) to make linen (亚麻布) and paper to be used in art.
Inspired by a group of old ladies in Canada who plant sustainable art materials and post their videos on social platform YouTube, Wiebe learned about how to plant, harvest and separate fibers. She planted different fruits and vegetables traditionally used to dye (给……染色) fabrics (织物) . She then put their peels (外皮) into boiled water and added hot pressurized air to make a dye. For her, it’s a demanding but enjoyable process.
Wiebe and Rice plan to eventually buy some land in Detroit to grow these sustainable art materials — a dye, fiber and pigment (颜料) garden —— “a bigger version of what we’re already doing”, Wiebe told Minnesota News. “We’d set it up like an organization where artists can volunteer a few hours a week and then use all of the plants that we grow.”
Wiebe also likes fiber-based art, such as quilting, weaving and sewing. She has applied those techniques to her recent works, displayed as part of the annual Senior Exhibition at her school. During her sophomore (高中或大学二年级) year, Wiebe joined the Michigan Daily as an illustrator, learning to conceptualize and complete complex illustrations on tight deadlines. Wiebe’s works received a lot of help from others. “Because the art school doesn’t have departments, we have studio coordinators who take care of each studio,” she said. “I see them every day, and they’ve helped me a lot.”
1. What can we learn about Wiebe from the first two paragraphs?| A．She failed to realize her potential. | B．She longed to be a gardener. |
| C．She was fond of growing plants. | D．She had an environmentally friendly mind. |
| A．To get fibers eventually. | B．To peel fabrics skillfully |
| C．To grow plants traditionally. | D．To dye fabrics individually. |
| A．To review Wiebe’s achievements. | B．To present Wiebe’s contribution. |
| C．To display Wiebe’s future prospect. | D．To promote an application of Wiebe’s idea. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Creativity is productivity. |
| C．Unity is strength. | D．Curiosity is motivation. |
4 . 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. |
5 . Bethany Meilani Hamilton was born on February 8, 1990, in Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii. Raised in a surfing family, along with older brothers Noah and Tim, Bethany learned to surf at the age of 7. She began competitive surfing at age 8, and by age 9 she had got her first sponsorship(赞助) .
In October 2003, after having placed 3rd in the Open Women’s Division earlier that year, Bethany’s life changed forever. Bethany went out to surf at Tunnels Beach in Ha’ena with her best friend, Alana Blanchard, and Blanchard’s father and brother. While lying on her board, Bethany suddenly felt huge pressure on her left arm and was pulled back and forth for a few seconds. Feeling no pain at first, she noticed the water around her had turned red, and her shocked friend first realized that she was attacked by a shark. Hamilton lost her left arm just below the shoulder.
As she recovered, she made two promises to herself. The first was that she would not moan(抱怨) about her terrible accident and the second was that she would get back on the surfboard. After only 26 days, she was surfing again! She is now one of the top 50 female surfers in the world. She also won first prize in the Explorer Women’s Division of the NSSA National Championships.
Bethany’s story has been turned into many books, including a few written by herself. She has appeared on many TV shows, magazine articles and in 2004 was named the Best Comeback Athlete and also received the Courage Teen Choice Award.
The last two books written by Bethany were based around the theme of being unstoppable. One of her books is named Be Unstoppable: The Art of Never Giving Up and has guided readers to be brave, enjoy life and never give up.
1. When did Bethany start to take part in surfing competitions?| A．In 1990. | B．In 1997. | C．In 1998. | D．In 2003. |
| A．It happened during a competition. |
| B．Bethany lost her arms in the accident. |
| C．Alana was the first to find out Bethany was attacked. |
| D．It was so painful that Bethany passed out immediately. |
| A．The popularity of Bethany. | B．The promises of Bethany. |
| C．The books written by Bethany. | D．The prizes Bethany won. |
| A．Knowledgable. | B．Encouraging. | C．Outgoing. | D．Sociable. |
6 . The Boy Made it!
One Sunday, Nicholas, a teenager, went skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. In the early afternoon, when he was planning to go home, a fierce snowstorm swept in to the area. Unable to see far, he accidentally turned off the path. Before he knew it, Nicholas was lost, all alone! He didn’t have food, water, a phone, or other supplies. He was getting colder by the minute.
Nicholas had no idea where he was. He tried not to panic. He thought about all of the survival shows he had watched on TV. It was time to put the tips he had learned to use.
He decided to stop skiing. There was a better chance of someone finding him if he stayed put. The first thing he did was to find shelter from the freezing wind and snow. If he didn’t, his body temperature would get very low, which could quickly kill him.
Using his skis, Nicholas built a snow cave. He gathered a huge mass of snow and dug out a hole in the middle. Then he piled branches on top of himself, like a blanket, to stay as warm as he could.
By that evening, Nicholas was really hungry. He ate snow and drank water from a nearby stream so that his body wouldn’t lose too much water. Not knowing how much longer he could last, Nicholas did the only thing he could — he huddled (蜷缩) in his cave and slept.
The next day, Nicholas went out to look for help, but he couldn’t find anyone. He followed his tracks and returned to the snow cave, because without shelter, he could die that night. On Tuesday, Nicholas went out again to find help. He had walked for about a mile when a volunteer searcher found him. After two days stuck in the snow, Nicholas was saved.
Nicholas might not have survived this snowstorm had it not been for TV. He had often watched Grylls’ survival show Man vs. Wild. That’s where he learned the tips that saved his life, In each episode (一期节目) of Man vs. Wild, Grylls is abandoned in a wild area and has to find his way out.
When Grylls heard about Nichola’s amazing deeds, he was super impressed that Nicholas had made it since he knew better than anyone how hard Nicholas had to work to stay alive.
1. What happened to Nicholas one Sunday afternoon?| A．He got lost. | B．He hurt his eyes. |
| C．He broke his skis. | D．He caught a cold. |
| A．He found a shelter. | B．He kept on skiing. |
| C．He built a snow cave. | D．He lighted some branches. |
| A．stayed where he was | B．was saved by a searcher |
| C．got stuck in the snow | D．returned to his shelter safely |
| A．was very hard-working | B．created some tips for survival |
| C．watched Grylls’ TV program regularly | D．did the right things in the dangerous situation |
7 . 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 |
8 . “Every life is a boat, the dream is the boat sail.” Every child has a dream of what they want to be. When Renee Butts was little, her dream was to become a volunteer firefighter because her father was one. Sadly, when she was 14, her beloved father died and she was never able to do volunteer work with him. However, Renee’s story didn’t end there. She was determined and never gave up, which makes for a good firefighter.
Now Renee is a member of the Carme l Fire Department, where she is required to be an Emergency Medical Technician. She should also be ready to deal with any emergency, like fighting a fire, dealing with a car accident or helping someone who’s sick. Sometimes she is in the driver’s seat or using the water pump. Renee works nine to eleven days a month on 24-hour shifts. She also has a family to care for, as her husband is also a busy firefighter. Dealing with housework and working so much can show her great determination.
When I asked Renee what the best part of her job was, she replied, “Helping people and saving lives.” I think that shows signs of being a true hero. She’s always willing to do anything for anyone in need. Renee says that her job is frightening at times, but extremely exciting. “The worst part of my job is that I see death. Actually, sometimes people die in the accident, for which I am very sorry.” With 140 people in her station, Renee is one of the only three women, but that doesn’t bother her. She says everyone can get a fair shot and do the same jobs.
I was inspired by this because I knew I would be very scared to do her job and didn’t know if I could handle seeing people die. We would never live without people like her who have the courage to risk their lives. Renee’s determination rubs off on me and makes me believe that I can do anything.
1. What happened to Renee when she was fourteen?| A．She dropped out of school. | B．She got lost in a boat sailing. |
| C．Her dream to be a firefighter came true. | D．Her father passed away. |
| A．She is one of the only three women in her station. |
| B．She always tries her best to help anyone in need. |
| C．She feels sorry for the people dying in the accident. |
| D．She has been a firefighter for a long time. |
| A．Frightening but exciting. | B．Simple and pleasant. |
| C．Challenging but promising. | D．Relaxing and comfortable. |
| A．The author feels very scared to do Renee’s job. |
| B．Renee’s story is an inspiration to the author. |
| C．Renee encourages the author to risk the life. |
| D．The author could handle seeing people die. |
9 . 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 |
10 . For the past 15 years, Denise has taught at a community school where students face significant economic and language challenges. In 2016, Denise met Dr. Jane Goodall at an event in the Bronx. Like Dr. Jane, Denise, who has a background in forestry, is always connected with nature and animals. Soon after, she started a Roots &Shoots program at her school. “I love to inspire that same connection in my students, ”said Denise.
To kick off their project, Denise introduced her group (19 first graders and 8 fifth-graders) to community mapping. “Where do you live?What’s the name of your county?What’s the name of your state?”she asked. “So it starts in your own backyard, ”she explains, “and it progresses across the street to the park, where you see urban wildlife, and finally you start to look at the bigger picture. ”Students then observed homeless cats outside their school, and together, they took action to return them to where they were found.
The students led the entire project. “I was just a guide, "says Denise. “But that’s the point:They are going to love science and animals. They know they are the future and that they are the people who are the keepers of this planet. ”She also notes that students come to understand what positive choices can have: They discover their own strengths and even weaknesses. They identify partners’ efforts and they form friendships and bonds.
But ultimately, says Denise, “my goal was to try to teach compassion, namely sympathy. That’s the biggest payoff she tries to convey to her students.” For other educators with a willing heart, she offers a few words of advice: Get students outside—even just to walk around the school grounds, guide them to build trust and put themselves in other’s shoes, and never give up!
1. What does the underlined phrase “that same connection” probably refer to?| A．Love for nature and animals. |
| B．Desire for a higher social status. |
| C．Denise and Goodall’s relationship. |
| D．Courage to explore the unknown. |
| A．There are many homeless cats to handle. |
| B．A bigger picture is built on urban wildlife. |
| C．Change may start from small things around. |
| D．Every kid should know their own county. |
| A．Ways to brave hardships in life. |
| B．The project’s impact on students. |
| C．Links between human and nature. |
| D．Challenges to face in the future. |
| A．Being sympathetic. | B．Remaining responsible. |
| C．Staying determined. | D．Keeping sharp-minded. |
