1 . J. K. Rowling frequently shows there is magic every day. Her Harry Potter series has helped people through times of stress and depression and she is always there to deliver wise words of encouragement.
She is one celebrity who is very active on Twitter. So when a single dad named Matt Burke sent her a message thanking her for the series, she noticed. Her series had helped strengthen his relationship with his 9yearold daughter Bailey.
He included a link to his article titled Being a Broke Parent. He explained how he hadn’t found a level of financial stability that allowed him to pay bills on time and take his daughter on more activities and events. The family also doesn’t have the Internet or TV, which means there’s no “digital babysitter” and he has to rely on his own creative ways to bond with his daughter. Since he received the series, the main thing that has occupied them these days is reading books together.
Burke admits that he thought he was “too cool” for the books when they first came out and he was in his twenties, but he’s loving reading them now. “We switch off chapter by chapter reading them out loud，“Burke explains.” This not only allows her to get more used to reading aloud in front of someone, but it gets me directly involved in something she loves, and it gives me the chance to be very dramatic when I read my chapters and bring myself into the characters in the book, which has proven to be a ton of fun.”
After hearing Burke’s story, Rowling said how honored she was when Harry Potter was a part of his family’s life and offered Burke more books. Besides, people are also offering to send Burke more books as gifts. For Burke, this experience, far more than gifts, will be what he treasures.
1. Why did Burke thank J. K. Rowling according to the text?| A．She guided him how to write a good story. |
| B．She encouraged him when he was in trouble. |
| C．Her books helped him through times of confusion. |
| D．Her books helped him improve his bond with his daughter. |
| A．He has found it interesting to read the series. | B．He was too old to understand the series better. |
| C．He has chosen a better way of reading the series. | D．He hopes to play a role in the drama in the future. |
| A．Useless. | B．Normal. | C．Valuable. | D．Boring. |
| A．J. K. Rowling chooses to help improve kids’ health. |
| B．J. K. Rowling gives a magical gift to a single father. |
| C．J. K. Rowling has a deep influence on others’ growth. |
| D．Burke comes to know J. K. Rowling through her series. |
2 . No matter how many times Sandy has rescued an animal, she never gets over the casual cruelty some people display toward unwanted pets. When she lost her own “angel” dog, she started Logan’s Legacy to help other pets in need.
Sandy recently received a phone call about a small dog, possibly a puppy, that had been abandoned on a street. Since she was too far to help on, she called a friend who lives nearby to get there as soon as possible. When her friend Tom arrived, he found a tiny dog curled(蜷缩)in a tight ball with the chain firmly tied to a tree. Someone had left food and water for her, but the puppy was too frightened to eat or drink. Once gathered up in a blanket and placed into the back seat of the car, she began to get weak quickly from dehydration(脱水)and exhaustion.
The moment she got some water and food, the puppy made a rapid recovery, and her lovely and sweet personality could finally shine! “We have named her CiCi,” Sandy added, “She is feeling so much better. She has been observed at my place and she is doing great. This sweet baby girl will never feel fearful again, and won’t ever be abandoned again.” After winning hearts at Sandy’s office, CiCi has been approved for adopting and will soon leave for her new life. Sandy and her fellow rescuers are trying their best to find her the perfect family to love her and treat her with the respect all living creatures deserve!
1. What did Sandy feel it hard to overcome?| A．The casual humanity. | B．The cruelty of humanity. |
| C．The kind human nature. | D．The weakness of kindness. |
| A．She suffered a serious illness. |
| B．She had nothing to eat or drink. |
| C．She got lost far away from home. |
| D．She was scared and in poor health. |
| A．She will stop taking medicine. |
| B．She will continue further treatment. |
| C．She will have a perfect match for home. |
| D．She will get on well with Sandy forever. |
| A．A Warm Home for CiCi |
| B．Dog Saved Heart Fulfilled |
| C．A Terrible Experience of CiCi |
| D．Saving Dogs Saving Themselves |
3 . I was riding my special motorbike this past weekend and stopped at a store. As I was getting my wheelchair off the back, a man watched me from his car and I noticed a wheelchair in his back seat. We spoke for a moment and I asked him about the wheelchair. He answered that it was for his daughter. “Well, do you think she would like to go for a ride on my motorbike with me?” I asked. He seemed shocked that a total stranger would ask him this. He thought about it for a second and said, “OK, as long as I can follow you.” He introduced me to Amy and he sat her on my back seat. Her father followed me for a few miles and she talked non-stop about what she wanted for Christmas.
As we came back to the store, she said, “This ride is the best Christmas present I could ever receive. I have been in a wheelchair my whole life and didn’t know I could do this.” Then she turned to him and said, “Oh Daddy, I’m going to be OK. Mr. Bryant does all kinds of things—and I will, too.” Her father hugged me and said, “I was sitting here praying for a gift for Amy that would encourage her. She often felt that her life was dull compared to other children. God answered my prayer (祷告) just now. Now I pray that God will bless you for your gift to Amy today.” Being kind and thoughtful to others, we can be an answer to prayer.
1. What can we know about the author?| A．He was a disabled man. | B．He usually drove too fast. |
| C．He worked in a store. | D．He often helped people in trouble. |
| A．Anxious. | B．Embarrassed. |
| C．Surprised. | D．Moved. |
| A．was not allowed to do some sports |
| B．used to be a completely healthy person |
| C．was unwillingly to communicate with a stranger |
| D．usually felt sad about life because of her disability |
| A．The motorbike. | B．The wheelchair. |
| C．The ride. | D．The prayer. |
4 . Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia, I saw a water puddle ahead on the path. As I reached the puddle, I was suddenly attacked! Yet I did nothing for the attack was so unpredictable and from a source so totally unexpected. I was being attacked by a butterfly!
Having stopped attacking, I took a step forward. My attacker rushed me again. I retreated a step while my attacker relented in his attack. Yet again, I tried moving forward and I was rammed in the chest over and over again. I wasn’t sure what to do, other than to retreat a third time. After all, it’s just not every day that one is attacked by a butterfly. This time, though, I stepped back several paces to look the situation over. My attacker moved back as well to land on the ground. That’s when I discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier. He had a mate and she was dying. She was beside the puddle where he landed.
Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate. He had taken it upon himself to attack me for his mate’s reason, even though she was clearly dying and I was so large. He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life in case I was careless to step on her. Now I knew why and what he was fighting for. There was really only one option left for me. I carefully made my way around the puddle to the other side of the path, though it was only inches wide and extremely muddy. His courage in attacking something thousands of times large r and heavier than himself just for his mate’s safety justified it. I couldn’t do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the puddle. He had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed.
I left them in peace for those last few moments, cleaning the mud from my boots when I later reached my car. Since then, I’ve always tried to remember the courage of that butterfly whenever I see huge obstacles facing me. I use that butterfly’s courage as an inspiration and to remind myself that good things are worth fighting for.
1. Why did the butterfly attack the author?| A．To let him rescue his mate. | B．To teach him about love. |
| C．To protect the puddle. | D．To warn him off his mate. |
| A．Admiring. | B．Annoyed. | C．Absent-minded. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．He cured the dying butterfly. | B．He left the butterflies alone. |
| C．He stepped on the butterfly carelessly. | D．He fought with the butterfly. |
| A．A battle with a butterfly | B．A walk around a puddle |
| C．A true story of courage and love | D．A travel in Georgia |
5 . While most people are doing their best to work multiple jobs in a day to earn honest money, some people still settle on scamming (诈骗) others just to have instant cash. However, one scammer called the wrong person when he dialed Jean Ebbert’s number. The 73-year-old woman from New York may be in her senior years, but she is surely one tough lady who used to be a 911 call operator.
Her previous line of work has trained her to be a fast thinker and quick on her toes. When she received that call from someone claiming to be her grandson, she knew instantly that she was talking to a scammer.
According to the caller who was even crying at the time, he was Jean’s grandson who had gotten arrested due to drunk driving and now needed money to get out of prison. Ridiculously, Jean had no grandson who drives. However, knowing that the man could easily find another person to trick if she dropped the call, Jean decided to play along so the person on the other end of the line could get what he deserves.
“So I played the game. And then I said to him, ‘Listen! Don’t call your mother, or she’s going to be mad. Let me handle this,’” Jean recalled.
Eventually, the scammer passed the phone to his “lawyer” who then told her that her grandson needed $8,000 to be set free. Jean knew better of the situation and continued with her act, instructing the caller to visit her home address to get the money he needed.
Moments later, the doorbell rang and Jean rose to her feet and opened the door. In front of her stood a tall young man, who claimed himself to be her grandson’s lawyer and asked for the cash that had been promised to him. Jean had already laid a trap for him. The instant the scammer came, he was greeted by the two policemen waiting inside Jean’s home.
1. Who called Jean Ebbert?| A．Her lawyer. | B．Her grandson. | C．A complete stranger. | D．A 911 call operator. |
| A．She wanted to get back her $8,000. | B．She hated seeing others being tricked. |
| C．She enjoyed playing along with scammers. | D．She was concerned about her grandson’s safety. |
| A．She went outside, ready to greet the man. |
| B．She contacted her lawyer, consulting him for advice. |
| C．She got the money the man needed ready, waiting inside for him. |
| D．She contacted the police, informing them of the man’s potential visit. |
| A．One is never too old to learn. | B．You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. |
| C．Every dog has its day, and every man his hour. | D．Old horses know the way; old men know the world. |
6 . A mother of nine started medical school, graduated with her degree and plans to be a neurosurgeon (神经外科医生).
Sarah Merrill, now 41, said her journey to medical school began at age 17. She then met her husband and got married. But she decided to follow her dream of attending medical school. Certainly, it was a challenge. She owed her success to her husband’s approval. “When I was accepted by the Medicine School, we moved from Pennsylvania to Arizona to start my internship (实习). In fact, they volunteered these movements. I know it was tough for all of us.” said Merrill.
Merrill and her children often have “homework parties” where they study their own courses. Merrill’s choice has given a stimulus to her children. Merrill felt touched when knowing her daughter and son want to become a doctor.
Merrill’s next step will come into a male-dominated field where women doctors only take up 5%. Dr. Halyard at the Medicine School said Merrill was known as a focused student and added, “If you have the ability to deal with nine children, the internship should be a piece of cake because no amount of stress will make you fail.”
Merrill had considered choosing a more family-friendly major, but, again, chose to dream big and follow her original pursuit. It’s the same advice she would give to all. “Set the goal that is what you’re really enthusiastic about, and it helps to think small. If you know what your priorities are, focus on the next step. Then you’ll get where you want to go.”
1. Why does Merrill speak of their movements?| A．To show the support of her family. |
| B．To stress her determination to be a doctor. |
| C．To reflect difficulties in attending college. |
| D．To describe the process of pursuing her dream. |
| A．Commitment. | B．Inspiration. |
| C．Entertainment. | D．Confusion. |
| A．Merrill will have more stress to handle. |
| B．Being Mom makes Merrill a better doctor. |
| C．Staying focused and sensible is key to success. |
| D．She is confident of Merrill’s being a neurosurgeon. |
| A．Starting with important things. |
| B．Getting your priorities right. |
| C．Being true to your passion. |
| D．Having the courage to dream big. |
7 . Grace and her family thought they had lost Thor forever when they moved to Windsor, Nova Scotia from British Columbia last August.
“We probably spent seven or eight months looking for Thor,” Grace said. “What made it worse was that there were rumors (谣言) going around that there was dogfighting in our area. We still always hoped that somebody had taken him to be a pet, but you just never knew.”
“It was terrible. My daughter Bronwyn would try to find Thor everywhere, which had been a Christmas present for her. Even while watching TV programmes, she would say, ‘Oh, look! That dog looks like Thor!’” Grace said. Then the family moved, and the hope became impossible.
But one day, the phone rang. It was their former vet in British Columbia, saying Thor was in a rescue shelter (收容所) in High River, Alberta. He had been found at a work camp in the northern part of the place and taken to south by a man planning to keep him. But the man was forced to turn him over to the shelter when he couldn’t keep Thor in his rented home. Luckily, the ring on Thor’s neck gave people some information.
Thor was flown to Nova Scotia last week. The family picked him up at the airport. “Thor was just lying in his box and looking down, and my daughter walked over and said, ‘Hey Thor.’ He immediately stood up, trying to greet my daughter. We let him out and he jumped on her as if he was giving her a big hug and he kissed her face. Then he sat down suddenly at her feet and rolled over for attention. He was cute.” Grace said.
1. Who helped Thor back home?| A．The author. | B．The former vet. | C．Bronwyn. | D．Grace. |
| A．He came back by air. |
| B．He was killed in the dog fighting. |
| C．He was given to Grace by Bronwyn. |
| D．He moved to British Columbia with the family. |
| A．A travel brochure. |
| B．A geography text book. |
| C．A news report. |
| D．A health magazine. |
8 . It’s possible that Chris Raven is the only person in the UK making baroque flutes (长笛). But far from having a lifetime of making instruments behind him, he started out at 70, after decades working in IT. He turns 80 in a month. Yet, in childhood, he loved woodwork. As he says: “You can plant a seed in a child’s mind. And the seed stays.”
Raven grew up in a musical household, in Chelmsford, Essex. Raven played the flute until he lost interest as a teenager. But he rediscovered his love of the instrument in his 40s when he won lessons at his daughter’s school fundraiser. Twenty years ago, he founded a flute choir.
It was after his mother died that he found his old school reports in his parents’ desk. But when he read his old reports he was taken aback: “The two subjects that I did consistently well at-which nobody seemed to spot at the time-were music and woodwork.” he says. “I made stuff as a child and I was good at it.” Rather than feeling minded to look back and wonder if he might have made different career decisions, Raven’s discovery was more a case of him noticing his gift, he says.
About 10 years ago, Raven signed up for an Irish flute-making workshop, followed by a baroque flute-making workshop. He cleared out the garage of the home, and equipped it with various tools to make flutes. His childhood passion “was revived” in baroque flutes and flute boxes.
“It’s been all-consuming,” he says. He spends at least four days a week “on my own in the workshop”. “Flute making, and box making, is not a living so much as a hobby,” says Raven. “I feel real passion and more creation about a new design.”
1. How long has Raven been a flute maker?| A．For his whole life. | B．Since ten years ago. |
| C．Since his childhood. | D．For several decades. |
| A．They awoke his hidden talent. | B．They led him to a wrong career. |
| C．They brought back old memories. | D．They made him feel Mom’s love. |
| A．He feels stuck in his career. | B．He works for an Irish workshop. |
| C．He gets some helpers in his work. | D．He unites his two passions after 70. |
| A．A Popular Flute Maker | B．Raven’s Lifelong Hobbies |
| C．A New Start after Retirement | D．Music-Raven’s Childhood Love |
9 . Being a writer in the 21st century can keep you in front of a screen for so long that it feels like the room is sideways. Being a human with the Internet can mean hours spent on social media, scrolling and posting for so long that your sense of reality
I grew up in the city, not hiking or camping, so I knew nothing about the outdoors. I have three kids with endless energy, so I figured I could solve two questions at once. I would get a breather from my job and the kids would play with insects and realize there is nothing better than nature.
We drove to Great Falls, Virginia, where hundreds of people on any given day spent hours meandering through the hillside and forest. The blue water pulsed, turning white and crashing powerfully hundreds of feet beneath us. The kids held their breath as if they had seen magics. But it’s just nature, just the outside, and that had been there all along. Since then, we’ve been fascinated.
Last summer I felt my home’s walls closing in, so I decided to go camping. I built my first fire. My kids watched my every move, asking every ten minutes to help get more branches and roast meat. About a month, my craving to take a break from the city grew again. We camped two more times before the cold came, each time seeing a bit more of what nature had to offer city folks.
1. Why did the author decide to go outside three years ago?| A．Because he was interested in nature. | B．Because he hoped to reduce anxiety. |
| C．Because he fell in love with camping. | D．Because he was eager for the outdoors. |
| A．Enjoy the beauty of nature. | B．Stay away from social media. |
| C．Learn to protect themselves. | D．Choose to do what they are fond of. |
| A．Tired. | B．Scared. | C．Bored. | D．Excited. |
| A．Memory. | B．Chance. | C．Desire. | D．Ability. |
10 . It is said that Lincoln’s ghost(幽灵) often appears in the White House. He appears in the room where the Lincoln bed is kept. Harry Truman once responded to a 3 o’clock knock on his door and found no one there. He attributed the knock to Lincoln.
Lincoln is said to return to the White House when the safety of the country is at risk. He walks up and down the second floor hallway, gently knocks at doors, and stands by certain windows with his hands put behind his back. One staff member firmly said that he had seen Lincoln sitting on his bed pulling on his boots.
A guard to President Harrison was kept awake many nights trying to protect the president from strange footsteps he heard in the hall. He grew so tired and worried; he finally attended a séance(降神会) to beg President Lincoln to stop so that he could get enough sleep to properly protect the president!
Abigail Adam’s ghost was seen wandering through the closed doors of the East Room to hang the laundry(洗衣店) during the Taft administration.
A gardener said that he had spoken to the ghost of Dolly Madison, who was angry with him for trying to remove the rose bushes she had planted over a hundred years ago.
In the 1930’s Andrew Jackson’s ghost could be heard laughing in the Rose room.
In 1952, complete repairs were done to the second floor of the White House. Since then, the ghosts have not walked so actively.
1. How many people’s ghosts appear in the white house?| A．Four. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Seven. |
| A．Harrison’s. | B．John Adam’s. | C．Andrew Jackson’s. | D．Dolly Madison’s. |
| A．Harry Truman had heard Lincoln’s footsteps. |
| B．Lincoln always returns to the White House when he misses his people. |
| C．President Harrison was not afraid of Lincoln’s ghost at all. |
| D．The rose bushes were planted by Dolly Madison. |
| A．The White House Ghosts |
| B．American Presidents’ Ghosts |
| C．The White House |
| D．American Presidents |
