1 . My mother, Marisol Torres, came with her family to Australia in the early 1960s. Then my parents’ marriage ended and Mum began the study of precious stones. Her interest in opals (猫眼石) took her to the New South Wales remote town of Lightning Ridge. There were no luxuries (奢华的享受), but she was closer to nature and had a chance to find black opals and make some money.
My mother was beautiful with dark hair and brown eyes, but she was also quiet and shy. Early in the Ridge years, she kept to herself, but later, she started going to the neighbourhood centre to make friends.
It was her dream to mine, but her get-rich-quick thinking was unrealistic. She was cheated and she was never very successful. But she kept a sense of humour and a charming smile.
Then, just as friendships began to blossom, she was diagnosed with cancer and had to return south for treatment. She had the intention of cooking Spanish food as special treat for her Ridge friends, but died too soon. In her honour, my aunt, Marisa, and I fulfilled (实现) her desire when we visited the Ridge in March last year.
People who mine (采矿) the Ridge come from a cross section of society, from lawyers to travels. Looks don’t mean much: it can be hard to tell who is millionaire and who is poor. Opals attracted Sebastian and Hanna Deisenberger to Lightning Ridge. They planned a two-year stay, but became permanent residents.
Then there’s Neil Schellnegger, 45, who moved to the area with his parents when he was a child. He lives with his son, Luke. Luke is a shy 19-year-old boy who enjoys helping his dad. They haven’t had much luck over the past couple of years, but their passion for opals conquers disappointment. They love the peaceful lifestyle.
Danny Hatcher, 38, is a second-generation miner and president of the Lightning Ridge Miners’ Association. He is an optimistic man, driven by the desire to find the perfect opal. “It’s magic,” he explains. “Once you start opal mining you don’t want to do anything else… There is always the potential for finding a million dollars. Nothing beats it.”
It’s a place where dreams—spiritual or material—can be fulfilled; a place, for one last bet in life.
1. What made the author’s mother go to Lightning Ridge?| A．The luxurious life there. | B．Her new marriage there. |
| C．Her interest in opals. | D．Her passion for nature. |
| A．treating her mother’s Ridge friends with Spanish food |
| B．writing a biography about her whole life |
| C．decorating her house in Lightning Ridge |
| D．finding a lot of black opals in Lightning Ridge |
| A．the rich and the poor can be distinguished by their looks |
| B．Luke is a successful miner, just like his father |
| C．Sebastian is planning to leave Lightning Ridge |
| D．Danny Hatcher’s parents were miners in Lightning Ridge |
| A．there are precious stones and life is peaceful |
| B．there are people from all walks of life |
| C．there are rich people who can help poor people |
| D．there is a lot of gold hidden in the ground |
| A．To show the magic power of opal mining. |
| B．To tell people it isn’t always hard to mine opals. |
| C．To warn people not to take up this kind of job. |
| D．To persuade people to look for more resources for the country. |
The Yosufs’ house is unlike any other house. In the sitting room, instead of a television, there is a blackboard on the wall. For two hours every day, Mr Yosuf writes complex mathematical problems on the board. His daughter, Zuleika, copies them into an exercise book and solves them.
Zuleika is special. She’s five years old, but instead of watching cartoons or playing computer games, her favourite pastimes are solving equations and reading books. She already spends hours every day in a university library. Next year Zuleika will become Britain’s youngest “A” level student.
Not surprisingly, the Yosufs are a very clever family. Zuleika’s two sisters and a brother, aged 16, 14 and 12 are also good at maths and are already at university. Her father, who specialises in maths research, has taught them all. “Zuleika is very competitive, says her father.” She sees her brother and sisters working every day and she can’t wait to catch up with them. I remember teaching the others maths when they were eight. Zuleika solves the same problems now, although she took up maths much earlier. We could see she was interested in numbers at a much younger age. ”
So what is the secret of their success? When their first child arrived, Mr Yosuf and his wife made up their minds to teach all of their children at home. They say that home tuition combined with love and understanding has helped their children to succeed. “We’ve been patient and supportive, and they take pride in what they do,” says Mr. Yosuf. “Maybe Zuleika has a natural talent for maths, but I believe given the right surroundings, any child could do well. ”
One thing all child prodigies(神童) do have in common is a complete dedication to and love of their subject. They spend many more hours working at it than the average child, and this extra effort is reflected in their achievements. It is not necessary to be extremely talented to be a child prodigy, but you do have to have a lot of motivation.
1. What is the blackboard in the sitting room used for? (no more than 20 words)2. Why is Zuleika special? (no more than 15 Words)
3. What does the underlined word “surroundings” in paragraph 4 probably mean? (1 word)
4. What do all child prodigies have in common according to the text? (no more than 15 words)
5. What do you think of studying at home?Give your reasons. (no more than 20 words)
3 . Recently, my husband and three kids were playing in the Mediterranean, swimming and floating in the picture-perfect sea. It was very beautiful in Majorca, Spain. The way the sun danced across the water and how the blue horizon was dotted with sailboats were such beautiful scenes. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
My husband and I always dreamed about taking our kids on a trip around the world. It was something we always wanted to do “one day”. It was one of the things we talked about when we imagined our life with the children.
Fourteen years later, we had three boys who were growing up faster by the day. It was time to make good on those plans. We spent dozens of hours discussing, researching and planning.
We had to learn how to “road school” our kids and arrange time off from work. We renewed our passports, and then packed our bags. We showed our kids the world. It was about experiencing the dozens of flights and trains and taxis together. We wanted them to learn all that we had learned ourselves, through our own travels as young adults.
But there was something more than that: What we really wanted is to slow down time. We wanted the days to last a bit longer, and the weeks to take their time. The years with our children are going too fast. We wanted to control our busy lives, and just be with our kids. We wanted a break from the daily morning timetable of making lunches, eating breakfast rushing out the door in time for school. We need a family time-out.
It was a wonderful two-month trip in Europe, full of wonderful moments. And when we looked back at our lives, I know we’ll be glad we did it. I know we’ll be happy that this is a part of the story of our family.
1. How do you understand “one day” in the 2nd paragraph? (no more than 10 words)2. How long was their trip in Europe? (no more than 5 words)
3. What does the underlined word “that” refer to? (no more than 10 words)
4. What’s the main idea of the 5th paragraph? (no more than 10 words)
5. Think about the trips you’ve taken with your parents. Do you have the similar feelings to the author? What did you learn from those trips? (no more than 25 words)
Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents’ home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register (收款台), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.
I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend’s. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.
I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holiday meaningful.
Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In later afternoon I returned to my car and found that I’d left the lights on all day, and the battery (电池) was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership – a shop selling cars – was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom.
“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?” I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.
“Thank you” – two powerful words. They’re easy to say and mean so much.
1. Why did the author stop at Oklahoma City? (No more than 10 words)2. The underlined words “took off” in Paragraph 2 mean _____. (No more than 5 words)
3. What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?(No more than 15 words)
4. Why was the battery of the author’s car dead? (No more than 10 words)
5. What is the author’s purpose in writing his own experiences? (No more than 15 words)
5 . A little boy went to a telephone booth (电话亭) at the cash counter of a store and made a phone call. The store owner looked at him and listened to the conversation.
Boy: “Lady, can you give me the job of cutting your lawn (草坪)?”
Woman (at the other end of the phone line): “No, thank you. I already have someone to cut my lawn.”
Boy: “Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price the person who cuts your lawn now.”
Woman: “I’m very satisfied with the person who cuts my lawn.”
Boy (with more perseverance 执着) : “Lady, I’ll even sweep the floor and the stairs of your house for free.”
Woman: “No, thank you.”
With a smile on his face, the little boy hung up the phone. The store owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.
Store owner: “Son... I like your attitude (态度). I like that positive (积极的) spirit and would like to offer you a job.”
Boy: “No, thanks.”
Store owner: “But you were really asking for one.”
Boy: “No, Sir. I was just checking my performance (表现) at the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to.”
1. In fact, how many people are mentioned (提及) in the story?| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
| A．he wanted her to let him continue his job |
| B．he thought that the lady was too poor |
| C．the lady thought the money she paid the boy was too much |
| D．he wanted to know if he did his job well enough and couldn’t be replaced (取代) by others. |
| A．The boy was angry with the lady. |
| B．The store owner wasn’t kind-hearted. |
| C．The lady wanted to find another person to do the boy’s job. |
| D．The boy was happy to know that the lady was satisfied with his performance. |
| A．Asking for a job | B．Self-appraisal (自我测评) |
| C．The lady and the boy | D．The boy and the store owner |
6 . Jess really felt very happy. When he arrived at his seat in the classroom that morning, he found an invitation(请柬)on his desk. It was from several of his classmates asking him to join them on a camping trip. This was the first time he was asked to join in an out-of-school activity. Why were they asking him now? Nobody seemed to like him. In fact, he had been so lonely that he drowned his feeling with food. As a result, he had put on a lot of weight, and this gave the kids something more to make fun of him.
Cindy, who was standing near Jess when he read the invitation, went out quickly to tell the others that the trick(恶作剧) had worked. Everyone was pleased that Jess thought that was true. But there was no camping trip. The whole thing was made up.
At first, Cindy thought it was fun. But later, when Jess told her that he was going to buy a sleeping bag with his savings(积蓄), Cindy had a second idea. She knew that Jess’s family had little money, and she hated to see him spend his savings on something he would never use. Cindy also hated to tell Jess the truth. Her close friends would be angry with her.
What could she do now?
1. The sentence“…he drowned his feeling with food” means“________”.| A．he ate a lot to make himself feel less lonely |
| B．he asked for a lot of food from his classmates |
| C．he brought his food to his classmates |
| D．he had a lot of food to put on weight |
| A．Jess would go on the camping trip himself. |
| B．Jess’s family would be angry with Cindy. |
| C．Cindy might have trouble with her friends. |
| D．Jess would be thankful to his classmates. |
| A．everyone else would also buy one | B．it would be the best in the class |
| C．Cindy would pay for it | D．He would have it for no use |
| A．everybody would go camping in the class |
| B．Jess had few friends in the class |
| C．Cindy was Jess’s best friend I the class |
| D．Jess joined in many out-of-school activities |
| A．Jess and His School | B．Jess and His Friends |
| C．An Invitation for Jess | D．Jess and His Camping Tip |
7 . Todd Steinkamp left his hotel around 5:30 a. m. for a funeral in Green Bay. Wisconsin. About half an hour into his journey on the road, he noticed a strange sound coming from the front tire (轮胎). By 7 a. m, he still had 70 miles ahead of him, but the noise was so loud that he knew he had no choice but to stop.
Steinkamp thought there was little chance anyone in the little town could help him so early in the morning. Still, he took his chance at a repair shop and asked for help. The worker Geib checked out the car. Geib told Steinkamp the wheel bearing (轴承) was failing. Fixing it would take a few hours. And without being repaired, the car couldn't go further.
Steinkamp started working out another plan. Could he rent a car somewhere? Geib went to the store across the street, but its only rental car wasn't available. Finding another place to rent would need a 40-mile drive. Steinkamp was unhappy and worried at that time. “However, Geib reached into his pocket, pulled out the key to his own truck and gave me,” Steinkamp said. With a smile, Geib said the truck could go 120 miles per hour if needed.
The men had met just 10 minutes before. They didn't know each other's names, but Geib did that. Steinkamp jumped in the truck and drove it to the funeral. When he came back to the shop seven hours later, he chatted with Geib. He thanked the 74-year-old worker, who turned a terrible day into a good one with a great lesson. Just be kind and help if you can.
1. Why did Todd Steinkamp want to go to Green Bay?| A．To pay a visit to his friends. | B．To rent a car for his travel. |
| C．To attend a funeral. | D．To repair his own truck. |
| A．There was something wrong with his car. |
| B．He was too tired to go on with his trip. |
| C．There was something wrong with his friend. |
| D．He lost his way during the trip. |
| A．Embarrassed. | B．Impatient. |
| C．Sorry. | D．Upset. |
| A．Steinkamp was 74 years old |
| B．Steinkamp ran away with the borrowed car |
| C．Geib lent Steinkamp a truck |
| D．Geib worked for the author for free |
| A．Make enough preparations ahead. | B．Help others if you can. |
| C．Treat others with respect. | D．Learn from each other. |
8 . While most 4-year-olds are making mud pies or selling lemonade, Austin Perine of Birmingham, Alabama decided to go one step further. Austin feeds the hungry and homeless population throughout the city in an effort to “show love” to those who need “food and smiles”. “Show love”, according to Austin, has become his superhero motto. His superhero name? President Austin, of course.
Austin’s father, TJ Perine, told CNN that Austin has always been sympathetic (有同情心的), as he acts like a “little dad” for his brother, Taylor. However, it wasn't until Austin learned that people are experiencing homelessness that he decided to share what he has with the rest of his community. TJ noted that Austin’s first knowledge about homelessness came after watching a nature documentary (纪录片) about a baby panda on television.
“Austin and I were watching an animal show and there was a mother panda that was leaving her baby, ” TJ said. “Austin began to get concerned, and I told him that the baby panda would be homeless.”
To better teach his son about homelessness, TJ took the young boy to the city shelter, at which point Austin asked, “Can we feed them?” In response, TJ took Austin to Burger King where he enthusiastically volunteered to pay for the chicken sandwiches using his weekly pocket money, thereby giving up new toys that week.
Austin and his father have plans to expand their community outreach efforts so they can also fight homelessness at its roots. They have also started a GoFundMe as part of their Show Love Foundation.
“We've gotten a lot of support from the country, and what we want to do is expand and do from more than just giving out sandwiches, ” TJ told CNN, saying that, finally, he and Austin hope to build a service center that deals with the many causes and symptoms of homelessness. “Mental illness, drug abuse, addiction, and things like that,” he said. “Austin and I want to build a service center and get some specialists in there that can actually help these people get back to work.”
1. What can we know about Austin from the first paragraph?| A．He has sympathy for the homeless. |
| B．He likes watching superhero movies. |
| C．He used to enjoy making mud pies best. |
| D．He frequently makes lemonade for the poor. |
| A．On the radio. | B．On TV. |
| C．On the newspaper. | D．On the magazine. |
| A．Worried. | B．Excited. |
| C．Ashamed | D．Regretful. |
| A．He bought new toys for his brother. |
| B．He ate chicken sandwiches with TJ. |
| C．He visited the homeless baby panda. |
| D．He used up his pocket money for charity. |
| A．Set up another GoFundMe. |
| B．Win support from the government. |
| C．Help homeless become employed. |
| D．Give out more sandwiches to the poor. |
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic(冠状病毒流行病),everyday heroes are appearing all over the world.
Raina owns and operates a Bakery in San Juan del Monte, Philippines. Though her business has slowed greatly with more people staying home, one pizza delivery driver came by her shop every day to buy at least 300 pieces of bread.
Curious, Raina finally asked why the driver was buying so much bread. She was shocked by his response. It turns out that the driver whose name is Raymond was using his own tip money to buy the bread to distribute it to homeless people in Quezon City.
Raina was so impressed by Raymond’s kindness that she shared the story on Facebook. Raymond explained that he’s gone hungry as a child himself, so seeing people in need as he made his deliveries urged（敦促） him into action.
He said, “when I give them food, they end up crying. They even tell me that their last meal was the night before I spoke to them. I know what I am giving is not enough but at least they could sustain for a few hours.”
Things are not easy for Raymond right now, either. He’s got three kids at home and his wife is out of work and pregnant(怀孕的).Still, he’s setting aside his tips and a bit of his won salary to feed others.
Once Raina’s Facebook post went popular, more people began sending Raymond donations for his cause. When his boss found out what he was up to, he sent him a check for 10,000 Philippine pesos. (菲律宾比索---货币单位)
Raymond says that he’ll continue to do his part to make sure his neighbors are okay! This is just another example of how some people are stepping up when the rest of the world is forced to step back.
1. What has made Raina’s business a lot worse than before? (No more than 5 words)2. Why did Raymond give the homeless food? (No more than10 words)
3. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 5 probably mean? (1 word)
4. What happened after Raymond’s story got around? (No more than 10 word)
5. How does Raymond’s story inspire you? (No more than 20 words)
10 . I bumped into(撞上)a stranger as he walked by me. "Oh, excuse me," I said. He replied with a smile and said, "Please excuse me too. I wasn't watching out for you. "We apologised and went our own ways.
Later that day, when I was cooking, my daughter was standing too close to me. When I turned to reach for some milk, I nearly knocked(撞倒)her over.
"Move out of the way!" I shouted.
She walked away sadly. But I didn't feel like I had to apologize to her.
While I was in bed that evening, my husband said to me, "While dealing with a stranger, you were polite, but with a daughter you love, you were unkind. Your daughter brought you some flowers that she picked herself this afternoon. You'll find them in the kitchen by the door. Have you seen the tears in her eyes?"
I quietly went and knelt down by my daughter's bed.
"Honey, I am so sorry, "I said. "Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
She said, "I found them by the tree. I picked them because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like them, especially the blue ones."
I tearfully replied, "Sweetie, I'm really sorry for the way I acted today. I shouldn't have shouted at you",
"It's okay. I love you anyway, "she said as she kissed me on my cheek.
If we can be polite to strangers, why can't we do the same for the ones we love?
1. According to the passage, “excuse me” means________ here ?| A．sorry | B．moved | C．happy | D．disappointed |
| A．mad | B．angry | C．polite | D．unkind |
| A．food | B．flowers | C．milk | D．nothing |
| A．the writer shouldn't shout at the daughter |
| B．the writer shouldn't apologize to the stranger |
| C．he shouldn't act rudely toward his daughter |
| D．both he and the writer should apologize to their daughter |
| A．We should always apologize first. |
| B．We should be polite to people around us. |
| C．Shouting is not polite behavior. |
| D．We should watch out for strangers. |
