1 . Years ago, I appeared on stage with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir (合唱团) in the Town Hall. There I was, my feet in plain shoes, sweat dirtying my clean white shirt, singing my heart out in front of the big organ. I still have a tape recording of that performance somewhere, where I swear I can hear myself singing, high and thin and possibly off-key.
But life got in the way and I stopped singing. Then, in the summer of 2019, I found myself facing some gloom in my own life. It felt as if it had been a long time between songs, as if there was something unsung, some absent music in my ears. I began to fear I might be making myself ill and unable to breathe in a normal way.
Could singing help me reclaim my voice and calm my fast-beating heart? Research from the Royal Society noted that “group singing can improve physical and mental health, as well as promote social bonds”. So, rather than letting my unsung tunes strangle (扼杀) me, I decided to take on a new choral experience, one being in the Big Feminist Sing, a community choir.
“If you don’t know what to sing,” the choir director said, “find someone who looks confident and go and stand next to them.” Find a friend if you’re in trouble; take a risk; use your voice; be part of something bigger than yourself. I’ve been singing in the choir ever since, because group singing gives me a sense of security — and each rehearsal (排练) is a lifeline, a connected thread, an intake of air working toward a collective voice. It doesn’t matter if I am a bit off-key to start with. Decades of unsung situations have changed, and I have flown.
1. How did the author feel during her performance in the Town Hall?| A．Thrilled. |
| B．Confident. |
| C．Nervous. |
| D．Curious. |
| A．Something unsung in author’s life. |
| B．Some difficulty in author’s life. |
| C．Some disease that stopped the author singing. |
| D．Some things affecting the author’s voice. |
| A．Finding a true friend is never easy. |
| B．The choir director’s position counts. |
| C．Teamwork has benefited her a lot. |
| D．Singing alone improves her health. |
| A．To get a sense of security out of singing. |
| B．To make changes from stage experiences. |
| C．To taste music in a choir. |
| D．To enjoy the amazing power of group singing. |
2 . Lifesaving heart operation
When Tal Golesworthy was told he needed lifesaving heart operation in 1993, he said no. Golesworthy has Marfan syndrome （马凡氏综合症）.
Back in 1993, when he was living in the west of England, his doctor told him that the aorta（主动脉）in his heart was so enlarged that it would unavoidable burst unless he underwent major operation.
“They talked through the options,” says Golesworthy, “and I was not interested. The operation really didn’t look attractive.” What he particularly didn't like was having to be on blood thinners after the operation, something that would prevent blood clots（血栓）but presented its own risks: “I was riding motorbikes then, and skiing, so my whole lifestyle would have been affected.” By 2000, however, his condition had worsened. Realizing something had to be done. Golesworthy put his years of experience as research — and — development engineer to good use. He decided he would fix himself. “Learning new stuff and developing new ideas, that was my job,” Golesworthy says.
The aorta, he thought, needed support on the outside. And wrapping something around the outside of the aorta would require a special operation. So Golesworthy subjected himself to 30 hours in an MRI scanner; used 3D printing to create a physical exact copy of the part of his heart. “Luckily, I’d done a lot of work with technical materials,” he says.
Strong determination coupled with an original yet practical solution won him the support of two leading surgeons and helped him raise the money to develop his idea. In May 2004, at the age of 47, he became the guinea pig for his own invention. The operation was a success.
1. Why did Tai Golesworthy refuse the operation at first?| A．A better solution was on the way. |
| B．He was afraid of life being affected. |
| C．The risk of operation tended to cause death. |
| D．He would like to be operated in his own way. |
| A．His creative spirit. | B．Regular exercise. |
| C．Doctors' suggestions. | D．His similar experience. |
| A．The lovely pet. | B．The important assistant. |
| C．The experimental subject. | D．The person to raise money. |
| A．Creative and kind. | B．Strong and imaginary. |
| C．Devoted and generous. | D．Determined and brave. |
3 . Last summer, Maria and her mother moved from their house in the countryside to a flat building in Chicago.Maria really liked some things about the city, but she missed her house and yard in the countryside.
One day, Maria was in her flat building when she noticed her neighbor, Mrs.Garcia, carrying a gardening tool and a bag of soil.Maria wondered how Mrs.Garcia was able to garden in the city.
“My mom used to grow the most delicious vegetables, and I know she misses her garden now that we don't have a yard, ”said Maria.
Mrs.Garcia laughed.“I'll show you, ”she said.
Maria thought that Mrs.Garcia would take her to the park, but she took her to the roof (屋顶). When the door opened, Maria was surprised to see rows of flowers and vegetables on the roof.
“What a wonderful garden！”said Maria.
Mrs.Garcia told Maria that for a long time the roof was just an empty space.Then some of the people in the building asked the owners to turn it into a community garden.The building owners liked the idea because the plants not only helped to keep the air clean, but they also helped to keep the building cooler during warmer weather.
“I plant flowers in my own place, ”Mrs.Garcia said, “but you would be surprised by how different the plants are up here.Some people grow vegetables just like your mom.You can do some of the same things in the city as in the countryside.You just have to be creative！”
1. When did Maria and her mother move to a flat building in Chicago?| A．Last month. | B．Last winter. |
| C．Last summer. | D．Last week. |
| A．The park. |
| B．The roof. |
| C．The garden in front of her house. |
| D．The countryside. |
| A．It used the empty space well. |
| B．It helped keep the air clean. |
| C．It helped keep the building cooler. |
| D．It made the building stronger. |
| A．A Creative Lady | B．A Rooftop Garden |
| C．An Empty Roof | D．A Special Building |
4 . The setting was a packed gymnasium just before the start of a game against another school. There were five girls who were members of the Danville High School basketball team — all of them starters. They were not in uniform to play that night and would not be on the team for the rest of this season. They were there to admit their breaking learn rules. They were there to support their coach's decision to take them off the team. They were there to let the town know there was a problem in their little community that needed to be addressed. And they did it with sincere regret rather than defensiveness.
While the school had been out for the New Year's holiday, the five girls had gone to the party with several of their friends. There was alcohol there. And they all drank some.
Coach Rainville has a zero tolerance rule on drugs and alcohol for her members though it was a hard decision to make. When classes resumed (恢复) and accounts of holiday parties were shared, rumors about the five girls began closing in on them. The coach said she couldn't back down on her rules. And the players — Iwo junior students and three senior students — agreed. That night in the gym was part of their public support of the coach's decision.
“We hope you will understand that we are not bad kids. What we did was definitely not worth it. We hope this event will make everyone realize that there is a big drug and alcohol problem in our community, one of the senior students said, “And if you work with us to try to solve this problem, you will help us feel that we have not been thrown off our basketball team for nothing." The five left the floor to deafening applause.
The team may not win another game this year. But they've learned something about personal responsibility, the effect of one's action on others, and honesty that will serve them well throughout life.
1. It can be inferred from the passage that the five girls who were kicked off the team were probably ________.| A．good players on the team |
| B．three junior students and two senior students |
| C．addicted to alcohol and drugs |
| D．scolded by their parents for drinking alcohol |
| A．They didn't fight for Danville High School any more. |
| B．They admitted their mistake in public in the gymnasium. |
| C．They would never drink any alcohol throughout their life. |
| D．They all gave speeches to apologize in the local newspaper. |
| A．Energetic. | B．Strict. |
| C．Content. | D．Cruel. |
| A．Growing Up with Pain | B．A Bad Mistake in Training |
| C．The Coach Who Values Rules Most | D．Basketball Girls in High School |
5 . Rocky was a 65-pound dog. Rita was his eleven-year old owner. When Rocky was given to her, Rita immediately liked him. Whenever she was not in school,the two were always together and within touching distance. The family would lovingly call the pair “R and R”.
But Rocky had one shortcoming. He feared water very much because of a terrible experience. When he was at the age of seven weeks long before he met Rita,he was nearly drowned by a naughty boy who had been blamed by his father.
One late afternoon, Rita's mother took R and R to a shopping area near a lake. Rita was running along the wooden bridge over the water,enjoying the beautiful scenery around. Suddenly a boy on a bicycle hit Rita. She let out a cry of pain and fell into the lake.
Rita's mother was at the entrance of a store not far away. She rushed to the lake shouting for help. Rocky seemed to forget his fear and jumped into the water to save his owner. Rocky immediately swam to Rita and held her by the shoulder's clothes with his mouth. Rita's face was quickly out of the water and she could cough.Luckily,the water was calm,they were not far from the bank,and Rocky finally reached a depth where his feet were on solid ground. He pulled Rita hard until her head was completely out of the water, and then he stood beside her, licking (舔) her face.
Rita and her family firmly believed that it was only the big dog's love for the little girl that caused him to take action that might be life-dangerous.
1. From the text, we know __________.| A．Rita was once blamed |
| B．Rocky was eleven years old |
| C．Rita spent her spare time with Rocky |
| D．Rocky lived in Rita's home since his birth |
| A．Brave. | B．Honest. | C．Unkind. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．At noon. | B．At night. | C．In the morning. | D．In the afternoon. |
① Rocky came into Rita's life.② Rocky was nearly drowned.
③They were playing near the lake. ④ Rocky saved Rita from the water.
| A．①②④③ | B．②①③④ | C．③①②④ | D．④③②① |
6 . Recycling Electronic Waste
When Alex Lin was 11 years old, he read an alarming article in the newspaper which said that people were burying old computers in backyards, throwing TVs into streams, and dumping (丢弃) cell phones in the garbage. This was dangerous because e-waste contains harmful chemicals that can leak into the environment, getting into crops, animals, water supplies—and people.
Alex was really worried and decided to make it next project for WIN—the Westerly Innovations Network. Alex and six of his friends had formed this organization to help solve community problems two years before.
But what could they do about this project with e-waste? The team spent several weeks gathering information about the harmful chemicals in e-waste and their effects on humans. They learned how to dispose (处置) of e-waste properly and how it could be recycled. Then, they sent out a survey and found only one in eight knew what e-waste was, let alone how to properly dispose of it.
Alex and his friends went into action. They advertised in the local newspaper and distributed notices to students, asking residents to bring their unwanted electronics to the school parking lot. The drive lasted two days, and they collected over 9, 500 kilograms of e-waste.
The next step was to set up a long-term e-waste drop-off center for the town. After some research, they’d learned that reusing is the best way to deal with electronic devices and it is seven times more efficient than recycling. So, they began learning to refurbish (翻新) computers themselves and distributed them to students who didn’t have their own. In this way, they could help students in the area and protect the environment at the same time.
For a lasting solution to e-waste, the drop-off center wasn’t enough. Laws would have to be passed. In 2016, WIN helped push for an e-waste bill in their town, which required companies that manufactured or sold electronics to take back e-waste. The bill clearly forbids the dumping of e-waste.
Because of the work of WIN, more and more people, like Alex and his team, are getting the message about safe disposal of e-waste. As Alex says, “Today’s technology should not become tomorrow’s harmful garbage.”
1. What was Alex’s worry after he read the article?| A．The littering of e-waste. | B．The recycling of plastic. |
| C．The change of environment. | D．The overuse of old computers. |
| A．Set up WIN. | B．Collect information. |
| C．Ask friends for help. | D．Carry out a survey. |
| A．Traditional. | B．Competitive. |
| C．Scientific. | D．Convenient. |
| A．There is no end to perfection. |
| B．Success comes through failure. |
| C．Every positive attitude has a reward. |
| D．Young people can make a big difference. |
7 . I had moved to Japan for a long- term client consulting engagement. After a few days in a Tokyo hotel I moved to an apartment. After being moved in by my colleagues, it was time to get dinner. I found a pizza deliver flyer in my mailbox, and decided to simply order a pizza as. I might have the previous week in Manhattan. The phone call to Cali Pizza was easier than anticipated and while waiting for the pizza I set about unpacking.
Unfortunately, after 45 minutes no pizza. I figured that my “easy” call really wasn’t and that I would need to make alternate plans for dinner. While thinking about what to do next, my phone rang. It was Cali Pizza calling to say that they could not find my apartment based on the address that I had given them. Once it was determined that I had provided an incorrect address, the clerk on the phone asked me to describe what I could see from my window. After some back and forth they seemed satisfied that they knew where I was.
A few minutes later the pizza arrived, This is when my “customer delight” experience took over. First, the delivery person apologized repeatedly for being late, then he showed me the small blue metal plate on my building with the correct address, and finally he refused to accept payment for the pizza because he was late. Net result: one delighted customer (me), and frequent orders from Cali Pizza during my two-year stay in Japan.
Such “customer delight” experiences become stories I have used to illustrate what it means to truly delight a customer.
1. What did the writer do first after he moved in the apartment?| A．Deliver flyers. | B．Place an order. |
| C．Call his colleagues. | D．Set about unpacking. |
| A．The number on the flyer was inaccurate. |
| B．The clerk was unfamiliar with the address. |
| C．The wrier provided an inaccurate address. |
| D．The pizza was sent to a wrong address. |
| A．Disappeared. | B．Dominated. | C．Promoted. | D．Decreased. |
| A．It’s never easy to settle down in a new city. |
| B．A delayed delivery may result in good profit. |
| C．One can’t be too careful when placing an order. |
| D．A short-term loss of benefit may reward a lot. |
8 . In most situations, bystanders’ responses like disapproving glares, uninvited comments or pieces of advice to a child’s angry behavior can add to the stress of the situation. But sometimes bystanders’ truly understand, and sometimes their words or actions can make a positive difference. One mom experienced this firsthand.
This mom was noticeably pregnant and traveling alone with her young son at a Los Angeles airport. Then things had taken a turn for the worse.
The boy, about 18 months old, was in the midst of what Beth, a Facebook user, referred to as a “total meltdown”. He was running all over the place, kicking, screaming, and flopping down (趴) on the floor, dead set on not getting aboard the plane. His mom did her best to calm him down, but, according to Beth, “she couldn’t pick him up because he was so upset. He kept running away from her, then lying down on the ground, kicking and screaming again.” Finally, the mom came to her wit’s end. She sat down on the floor next to her son, buried her face in her hands, and began to cry.
Then the most amazing thing happened.
A group of six or seven women, Beth included, circled around the mother-son pair and did something to help. Beth sang him “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider.” Another offered an orange. Another gave him a toy she had on hand. Another helped get his cup out of Mom’s bag. Yet another tended to Mom by offering her a water bottle. With the help of these incredible women, the kid and his mother calmed down and were able to board the plane.
And then life moved on. All of the strangers went their separate ways without speaking of what had happened. But Beth said it was something she’d never forget. “We were strangers, gathering to solve something,” she wrote. “It occurred to me that a circle of women, with a mission, can save the world.”
1. What reaction of the bystanders is proper to a child’s angry behavior?| A．Understanding and trying to help. | B．Offering parents some advice. |
| C．Commenting on the situation. | D．Stopping the child by glaring. |
| A．Burst into tears. | B．Felt totally at a loss. |
| C．Gave in to her kid. | D．Ran away from her kid. |
| A．Professional. | B．Courageous. | C．Calm. | D．Considerate. |
| A．To describe a great volunteer Beth. | B．To introduce some incredible women. |
| C．To show how strangers can help out. | D．To appeal to people to care for children. |
9 . We moved to Elmont in 1956. I was 4 years old. Elmont was a wonderful place to grow up. There were lots of kids，great schools and we had a big yard. Having grown up a city kid, my father, Nicholas Denaro, believed that grass was not just to look at, but that children were meant to play on it. We played games and badminton there. A white fence separated our backyard from a small wood. My friends and I jumped the fence and climbed trees.
My father had the most amazing hands. He could fix anything. He gave those amazing hands to his son, my younger brother, Frank, who also became handy around the house. But my father saved his green fingers for me. He grew flowers, tomatoes, strawberries and figs and he shared his love of gardening with me.
Fourteen years ago, I went to a local nursery and purchased a fig tree for Dad for Father’s Day. My mother, Bridget Denaro, called it the best gift I could have given him. He planted it exactly in the middle of the front yard.
He loved that tree and enjoyed delicious figs every year, except just after Sandy hit in 2012. He was so disappointed when cold weather just after the superstorm froze all the remaining figs.
In 2015，my father died of aspirating pneumonia (呼吸性肺炎) at 97. We sold our family home of 61years last year. We left behind Dad's tree, full of figs waiting to ripen. We briefly-considered taking it with us, but decided that his Father's Day fig tree belonged in Elmont. The new owners generously allowed me to take some branches so that I could have a precious reminder of my much-loved father and the Elmont home.
1. What can we learn about the author from the first paragraph?| A．She grew up in a city. | B．She only liked climbing trees. |
| C．She had a happy childhood. | D．She was naughty and stubborn. |
| A．How to garden well. | B．How to play games. |
| C．How to color fingers. | D．How to fix everything. |
| A．He was ill in hospital. | B．The cold hit the fig tree. |
| C．The tree didn’t bear figs. | D．He moved to another city. |
| A．To show her love of figs. | B．To share her childhood. |
| C．To remember her father. | D．To introduce her experience. |
10 . My mom is about to have a spinal operation. The operation is relatively minor, but does carry a risk of paralysis. Friends and family have reacted to this news by taking in such pessimistic terms that Mom has come to label this kind of talk as “psychological theft”. It occurs when other people increase your anxiety rather than provide comfort.
Last week Mom went to the post office and ran into Geoff who works for the local school. “How are you?” he asked. “Not great,” she replied. “I’ve been having some trouble with my back and I’m going to need an operation.” “Oh, the back is the most dangerous place to operate on!” he responded. “My mom had that and she was in terrible pain. Make sure you get all your affairs in order before you go under the knife — it takes months to get over it!” Geoff’s intention had been benign. He’d given his own mother’s story to show sympathy. However, Mom only heard pain, danger, knife, and months.
In the past few weeks, Mom’s mates and colleagues have told her stories about how their Auntie Trisha, who had just received an operation, was left speechless after hearing that she required a rapid follow-up operation; and how their neighbor, who had only a minor operation, never walked again.
It’s really not that difficult to think of alternative things they could have said that would be equally true, but more beneficial to patients to hear. “The specialists in our hospitals are among the best in the world. It’s amazing what they can do these days!” — that’s a good one. “You’re going to feel much better afterward.”— that’s another.
I’m not suggesting patients should be sheltered from the reality of the risks they’re taking. But if the decision to have an operation can’t really be avoided, what’s the purpose of underlining the drawbacks? It’s just common sense to say: “Get well soon, and how can I help?”
1. What does “psychological theft” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．The negative comments. | B．Psychological disorder. |
| C．The comforting words. | D．Physical disability. |
| A．Sympathetic | B．Relieved | C．Moved | D．Worried |
| A．By using examples | B．By analyzing causes |
| C．By following time order. | D．By discussing research findings |
| A．Treat patients with adoration. | B．Communicate more with other patients |
| C．Be well-prepared for unavoidable operations. | D．Find an appropriate way to comfort patients. |
