1 . One afternoon, while staying with friends at their house there, my husband and I decided to go for a walk along the traffic-free country road in the area. We met a beautiful Golden Retriever. He seemed exceptionally friendly so we stopped to play with him, throwing a stick which he retrieved（取回）several times happily. When we continued our walk, he followed us. I couldn't deny that we were enjoying his company.
After about twenty minutes, we found ourselves walking along a dirt road in an unfamiliar area. One house, almost hidden by tall trees, seemed somehow strange. I wanted to get as far away from that place as possible.
Just then, the door to the house opened and five dogs rushed out, barking as they ran toward us. I felt terrified and couldn't move. All of a sudden, our new friend appeared between the dogs and us. He faced them-all five of them-barking and baring his teeth. I was amazed to see the attacking dogs stop in their tracks ten feet away from him. Our protector held them there while we escaped.
At a safe distance, we looked back and saw the five dogs heading back toward their house. But the Golden Retriever was nowhere in sight. I felt an ache in my heart; I missed our friend already.
With a feeling of emptiness, we made our way back to the house, hoping the whole way that we would see him again. But it was not to be.
When I told our friend about the encounter, her eyes flew wide open as she exclaimed, "It was an angel!"
To this day I have no doubt, A four-legged angel protected us.
1. While meeting the house hidden by tall trees, the author may feel| A．curious | B．frightened | C．peaceful | D．exited |
| A．Loyal. | B．Brave. | C．Cruel. | D．Lovely. |
| A．A Romantic Walk | B．A Beautiful Encounter |
| C．A Four-Legged Angel | D．A Terrible Experience |
2 . Yu Chenrui, 29, is a maker of automata (机关人偶) in Chengdu, Sichuan province. Automata are built to look like humans or animals and give the illusion (错觉) of being able to move on their own, “The art form amazes me, because it combines various skills, from storytelling to mechanics, and the pieces are built with a sense of humor,” Yu says. His creations have caught the attention of well-known artists and his fancy pieces of art have attracted collectors worldwide.
Interested in handcrafts as a boy, Yu first encountered automata designed by Japanese artist Kazuaki at an exhibition in 2015 when he studied at the Communication University of China in Beijing. “It was like meeting a like-minded friend, ” Yu says, recalling the moment. As an art and design major, he began to learn the craft by himself and, with the support of his tutor, he kept studying and examining automata in school.
When he graduated in 2016, Yu landed a job at an advertising agency in Beijing. He stayed on at the company for three years because, at that time, he was not sure that he could make a living out of his hobby. While working as a designer Yu kept exploring and advancing his skills in wood carving and mechanics. Eventually, despite the job’s good salary, it was not enough to make up for not following his true passion. Finally, in 2018, Yu quit his job and returned to Chengdu to open his automata workshop.
To keep himself occupied while running his workshop, he planted blueberries, raspberries and cherries. He watered, weeded and added fertilizer (肥料) every day. “Daily routines helped me calm down and inspire my creativity, which resulted in an automaton called To Observe the Autumn,” Yu says.
Over time, Yu’s reputation grew and his business flourished (兴旺). Many of Yu’s creations are built with a dash of wisdom, a sprinkle of humor and are inspired by observations of real life. Yu knows that there are many more creative ideas waiting to be expressed. “It feels quite good to be fully devoted to automata creation and I am still searching for myself.”
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Yu is equipped with various skills. |
| B．Yu is a person full of sense of humor. |
| C．Yu is now gaining recognition worldwide. |
| D．Yu is following the latest trend in handcraft. |
| A．He couldn't make a living out of it. |
| B．He wanted to pursue his own dream. |
| C．He missed his family in Chengdu. |
| D．He thought he had a lot experience. |
| A．The fruits he grows. | B．Success of his business. |
| C．His devotion to the job. | D．Observation from daily life. |
| A．There is no end to learning. | B．Great hopes make great man. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. | D．Experience is the mother of wisdom. |
3 . One day, Amanda was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer of an early stage. During this time, she was admitted to a college. She planned to save money to meet the college expense and then seek medical treatment for the cancer.
Her father, Clint and her friends didn’t want her to put off her treatment due to the expense. They took matters into their own hands and started a GoFundMe campaign. A longtime friend of the family was cofounder of a group named Praynksters, known for random acts of kindness. The friend decided to use their own group to help the family. The group came up with the creative idea to spread the word and invite families, friends, and strangers who wanted to help to take part in a donation activity. The event induced the enormous assistance from the local community.
Clint and Amanda were moved as the crowd passed by and the donations poured in. The event brought the family over $13, 000 in donations to go towards her medical treatments. The generous act of kindness gave the family a comforting, and optimistic feeling during a time when all hope seemed lost. Clint said that Amanda struggled with the idea of asking for help. She felt guilty and undeserving compared to others who are also struggling. She is still humbled by it all.
After several months of treatment, life for the family has started getting back to their normal routine. Once Amanda got her strength back, she returned to school and completed her bachelor's degree. The family is now inspired to volunteer in their local neighborhood and contribute to crowdfunding (众筹) efforts. They are grateful for the opportunity to give back and help others as many have helped them.
1. Why did Amanda postpone her treatment of cancer?| A．She didn't care about her disease. |
| B．She had to take care of her family. |
| C．She was in a bad economic situation. |
| D．She couldn’t find an effective treatment. |
| A．Brought about. | B．Made up. |
| C．Gave away. | D．Set about. |
| A．Shameful but caring. |
| B．Kind-hearted and grateful. |
| C．Curious and warm-hearted. |
| D．Hard- working and humorous. |
| A．It's quite easy to cure Amanda’s cancer. |
| B．Praynksters is a nonprofit organization funded by Clint. |
| C．Volunteering is very popular in Amanda's community. |
| D．A GoFundMe campaign is actually a crowdfunding activity. |
4 . With bushfires continuing to swallow different parts of Australia, local zoo in New South Wales, the state which is the easiest to catch fire, has hit the headlines with a heartwarming story.
Right in the line of a bushfire, the keepers of Mogo Wildlife Park managed to protect all 200 animals from harm after they received evacuation orders, according to the reports.
Netizens were quick to react on social media and praised the bravery of the zoo keeper and staffs, as they stayed and managed to protect animals from uncontrolled fires and even sheltered some at their own house.
The 40-year-old zoo keeper, Chad Staples, described the situation as the worst catastrophe, which felt like Armageddon (大决战) here. Luckily, his team had made a precise plan ahead of time by moving everything flammable from the area and the larger animals to safe places.
What’s remarkable is that as the smaller ones needed extra shelter, Staples decided to take them to his own house.
“Right now in my house there are animals of all descriptions in all the different rooms. They are safe and protected, not single animal lost.” he said.
BBC news also mentioned that “there’s a tiger to the back of the house.”
Some media outlets highlighted the “heroic job” in their headlines. Online users also reacted with thumbs-up and were glad to see all the staff and animals coming through the terrible fire.
Located in the southern coast of New South Wales. Mogo Wildlife Park houses Australia’s largest collection of primates (灵长目动物), also including different and unique animals such as zebras, giraffes, rhinos and red pandas.
1. Why does New South Whales hit the headlines?| A．Because of its famous zoo. |
| B．Because of its endangered animals. |
| C．Because of the heartwarming event. |
| D．Because of its being easy to catch fire. |
| A．It belongs to Chad Staples. |
| B．None of the animals is missing. |
| C．It merely holds rare animal species. |
| D．Extra shelters were built for emergencies. |
| A．Method. | B．Landscape. | C．Disaster. | D．Household. |
| A．The Heroic Job | B．The Brave Zoo Keeper |
| C．The Extinct Animals | D．The Terrible Fire |
5 . I grew up in a home with a mother who believes that vaccines (疫苗) cause brain damage, and do not contribute to the health and safety of a society. The only shot I received was for tetanus (破伤风) when I was two months old. After that, nothing.
At the beginning of each school year, I was very nervous. Delayed term paper? Mischievous (捣蛋的) behavior? Late for school? None of them. I’d be pulled out of class and brought to the headmaster’s office. The school doctor would tell me I hadn’t received any of the necessary shots to attend school. But the same thing occurred each time: my mom would free me from the shots and nothing would happen.
After doing a lot of research, I found although people who don’t vaccinate their children make up only a relatively small group, they can cause major consequences. People who, for health or age reasons, cannot receive vaccines are at a higher risk of catching a preventable disease.
Eventually, I turned 18. In Ohio, where I live, I had to wait until I became a legal adult to make the decision to receive vaccine shots. A huge factor in taking the step to ensure my health was the message board website Reddit. Last November, I asked Reddit users for advice about what vaccines to ask for and how to go about getting them from a doctor. After my post received more than 1,000 comments, I made an appointment with my family physician. Despite how strongly my mother felt, I went through with it anyway.
I did something every person should do. It wasn’t special in any way. Vaccines protect the health and safety of not only yourself but also other people. Vaccination is important because someone could die if you don’t get vaccinated. This was the biggest reason I got vaccines despite the opposition.
1. Why was the author called to the headmaster’s office at the beginning of each school year?| A．He was late for school. |
| B．He didn’t behave himself at school. |
| C．He couldn’t hand in his term paper on time. |
| D．He was hardly ever vaccinated. |
| A．Annoyed. | B．Grateful. |
| C．Thrilled. | D．Guilty. |
| A．Listening to your mother pays off. |
| B．Doing the right thing matters. |
| C．Keeping fit is the best policy. |
| D．Asking for advice helps. |
