1 . When school started on that warm August day, I threw myself into everything I did, including playing volleyball. I decided to become beautiful, or at the very least, skinny. I stopped eating completely. Soon I began losing weight, which thrilled me, and I even grew to love the tiredness and lightheadedness (头晕) that came with my poor diet, for those feelings meant that I was winning.
As the season progressed, things had become tense between my head volleyball coach, Coach Smith, and me. She felt that something was wrong with my health. She talked with me about my eating and was angry that I wouldn’t listen to her when she tried to make me eat. I was angry and hurt and she was suspicious (怀疑的) and worried. We fought constantly. Then my malnourishment (营养不良) started to affect my performance. I was so tired that practice and games were becoming a struggle. One afternoon, with hurt in her eyes, Coach Smith asked me what I had eaten and I told her nothing yet. She looked at me, disappointment in her eyes, knowing she couldn’t make me stop, and walked away.
A couple of weeks later I attended the volleyball dinner for our volleyball team. I stood there as my coach managed to say something nice about me. I realized then that I had ruined my senior year by being disrespectful, and I had probably ruined hers as well. So that evening I wrote her a letter apologizing and thanking her.
Then one Saturday, as I was reading in the library, I felt someone gently take my arm and say softly, “Lynn Jones, how are you doing?” I looked up and saw the familiar face. “Thanks for the letter,” she said. “It meant a lot.”
When I think of a coach, I think of someone above me, someone who gives instruction-not a friend. But Coach Smith is different, and, like any other good friend, she dealt with my problem in a determined way even when I hated her for it at that time. I didn’t deserve her kindness, but she gave it anyway. I will forever be grateful for her help, and now for her friendship.
1. How did the author feel after she started losing weight?| A．Stupid. | B．Satisfied. | C．Funny. | D．Nervous. |
| A．She refused to go on a diet. | B．She caused her team to lose. |
| C．She changed the training schedule. | D．She refused to eat properly. |
| A．She felt sorry for what she did. |
| B．She felt sorry for eating too little food. |
| C．She decided to improve her performance. |
| D．She wanted to build a close relationship with Coach Smith. |
| A．Unexpected Friendship | B．A Fight with My Coach |
| C．A Strict Volleyball Coach | D．My Way of Losing Weight |
2 . I have a neighbour we call “Happy”．I have never seen her angry at anything and never heard her say a harsh (苛刻的) word to anyone or about anyone.
Happy and her husband Ben, 70，have a huge garden. They spent many happy hours together working on it. Most of the neighbours watched interestingly as Ben doubled the size of their garden. As the cost of food climbed faster than Ben’s beans，we all wished we also had such a large garden. As the rest of us spent our dollars at the market，Happy could be seen picking beans in her back yard.
Last month，Happy and Ben invited most of the neighbourhood over for an “all-day food fest”．We were told to bring gloves and arrive very early in the morning. We didn’t know what was about to take place.
By 9：00 am，there were nine of us in the garden picking tomatoes，beans，okra and squash. By 10：00 am，there was lots of laughter. We shared a lot of stories. By five o'clock，everyone was a little drunk from the wine and beer. After dinner，we played games. As we were leaving，Happy and Ben handed each of us a shopping bag filled with the bounty (收成) of the day，already packaged and frozen. What a delightful gift!
Well，the point wasn’t so much about the food. The true gift was a day of friends enjoying one another’s company. None of it would have happened if it had not been for Happy and Ben’s garden. Now they have a blog about gardening in case we decide to plant a garden. And I am so proud of my tomato plants!
1. We can infer that Happy and her husband Ben .| A．are a generous and warmhearted couple |
| B．sometimes quarrel with each other |
| C．live on the food they grow in their garden |
| D．don’t like spending time with others |
| A．they didn’t have to spend so much money on food |
| B．they could grow vegetables and sell them at the market |
| C．they could invite their neighbours and hold parties in it |
| D．they could spend happy time together with their family in it |
| A．To ask them to attend a birthday party. |
| B．To help them get to know each other. |
| C．To let them enjoy what they grew in the garden. |
| D．To ask them to share some interesting stories. |
| A．The writer used to have a big garden. |
| B．The writer didn’t like the food he received. |
| C．It was the first time for the writer to stay with so many people. |
| D．The writer has also started to grow vegetables. |
3 . My grandson Jason was no where to be seen-normal behavior for a ten-year-old. I sat down on a chair and noticed the ladder(梯子)lying on the ground under the big tree beside the driveway. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out Jason was up in that tree and had accidentally kicked the ladder away. He wasn't about to come down, and he wouldn't let me know he was trapped. I could put up the ladder and rescue him, but then I recalled an event in my youth that I now, more than 50 years later, suddenly understood.
Raymond Cutting was a white haired gentleman, who entered my life when I was Jason's age. My parents said I was free to wander around the village except for the abandoned quarry(采石场)at the foot of a local mountain, but it was an interesting place: full of milky green water and rusty machinery hiding in the bushes. One afternoon I went there with some older boys, who later abandoned me when the sun was low. I tried for an hour to find my way, climbing over fallen trees but got caught in the bushes. Panicked, I cried.
Stopping to catch my breath, I heard someone whistle(吹口哨). "Hello,"said Cutting. "Out for a walk?" I nodded, "I've just been out exploring the old quarry, but I've got to get home now." "If you'd wait a minute, I'll walk back to town with you after I finish this willow whistle."
So we walked back down the path together, and the willow whistle was mine, sounding loud and clear. It suddenly dawned on me what an unusual act of kindness that was-Mr. Cutting had heard me crying, but he didn't play the role of a rescuer. Instead, he whistled so that I could find him.
I got up from the chair and drove my truck right under the big tree, where Jason was. I picked up the ladder and carried it around to the back of the house. When I returned, Jason was sitting in my chair.
"Where have you been?" I asked.
"Exploring, "Jason said. "I am a Cub Scout, you know.”
"Yes, "I smiled and said, "I know.”
1. What do we know about the ten-year-old author and Jason?| A．Neither of them admitted being trapped. | B．Neither of them were fond of exploring. |
| C．They both got stuck in the woods. | D．They both cried out for help. |
| A．He offered to walk the author home. |
| B．He helped the author without hurting his pride. |
| C．He punished the boys who left the author behind. |
| D．He gave the author his handmade willow whistle. |
| A．He placed his chair by the tree. | B．He parked the truck under the tree. |
| C．He put the ladder up against the tree. | D．He climbed onto the tree to catch him. |
| A．Like father, like son. |
| B．Once bitten, twice shy. |
| C．God helps those who help themselves. |
| D．Have considerations for others while offering help. |
4 . When Central Bucks South became one of the first Philadelphia-area high schools to close due to fear of novel coronavirus exposure in early March, 16-year-old sophomore Andrew Chen knew that things were not going to return to normal as quickly as some of his peers hoped.
But still, the change from seeing his friends on the swim team during daily practices to learning alone at home was jarring. “I only have three years here at South, and it pains me to see one of them being wasted,” Chen said.
The coronavirus has upended everyone’s lives, but for students, the disruption feels particularly acute. Schools closed and graduation ceremonies were canceled. Summer plans, like camps and internships, are up in the air.
But right now, many students are trying to stay connected, struggling with misinformation, and figuring out the best ways they can help through online method.
For Josh Harycki, 17, a senior student at the Shipley School in Philadelphia, the best way to contribute was to create a “social distancing pledge” for young people.
“I saw a lot of younger generations not paying attention,” he said. “They were still going out, hanging out with people. I thought that there had to be a way to reach younger folks, who were probably not watching the news.”
Harycki launched a call to action on social media and then built a website with a map that tracked the locations of people who’d signed the pledge. The site also shares links to accurate sources of information like the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Harycki knows that his peers are worried they can’t connect with their friends in the same way, so he created the social distancing pledge to stress that while everyone might be physically distant, they’re still connected.
“Part of what we’re highlighting is that you might feel like you’re the only one taking this seriously, but our map shows that you’re not alone,” he said.
1. What do the underlined words “up in the air” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?| A．unnatural | B．uncertain | C．unnecessary | D．unreasonable |
| A．To show how the coronavirus affected students’ lives. |
| B．To explain what worried students most when schools closed. |
| C．To illustrate the appropriate reaction to the closure of school. |
| D．To present the different views of students toward the coronavirus. |
| A．Friends who are worried and bored. |
| B．Folks taking the coronavirus seriously. |
| C．Younger generations trying to contribute to society. |
| D．Young people who are not aware of the situation. |
| A．To track those people infected with the coronavirus. |
| B．To convince young people to stay at home. |
| C．To inform young folks of latest news about the coronavirus. |
| D．To show young people they shouldn’t be concerned about the coronavirus. |
5 . As I drove along the road, small car flew across the center divider from the opposite direction and crashed into my car head-on. I fell unconscious and was awakened by the ringing of my mobile phone.
I was brought to Kuala Lumpur General Hospital bleeding on from my nose, mouth and legs. But the hospital staff was too busy to attend to me, so I called a friend to tell him about the accident. Some friends arrived very soon and sent me to a private hospital nearby. I saw my injured feet hanging from my body, blue and lifeless, and I begged the doctors to save them at all cost. They calmly promised to do their best.
The doctors made it. After I was discharged, I was given ten months medical leave. My heart sank, knowing that it meant I, a big man, couldn't work. How was I going to support my 65-year-old mother and other family members? I felt completely helpless, but a la of unexpected blessings came my way. When I was recovering at home, friends and relatives helped me with my banking, insurance or simply came to cheer me up.
When the casts（石膏）were removed, I did not let the sight of my weak legs discourage me. I worked hard at my physiotherapy（物理疗法）with only one aim. After eight months, I was walking without the aid of a walking stick. Oh February the following year, I returned to my job again. Today, after eight years, I have travelled to many counties as a tour leader.
The accident makes me realize how lives can change in a second. I value life more, not only of my own but also of everyone I know, and I will always try to help when I know of someone in trouble.
1. What made the author come back to life in the traffic accident?| A．Someone made a call to him. |
| B．A car crashed into his ear head-on. |
| C．One of his friends gave him first aid. |
| D．His mobile phone was out of order suddenly. |
| A．Was inspired. | B．Got injured. |
| C．Was discovered. | D．Left hospital. |
| A．He is honest and strong. | B．He is learned and intelligent. |
| C．He is optimistic and determined. | D．He is discouraged and desperate. |
| A．Life is very precious to people. | B．It's a hard job to be a tour guide. |
| C．Many people are in trouble in life. | D．It's a must for someone to help others. |
6 . I once met a well-known botanist at a dinner party. I had never talked with a botanist before, and I found him very interesting. I sat there absorbed and listened while he spoke of unusual plants and his experiments (he even told me astonishing facts about the simple potato). I had a small indoor garden of my own—and he was good enough to tell me how to solve some of my problems.
As I said, we were at a dinner party. There must have been a dozen other guests, but I broke an important rule of politeness. I ignored everyone else and talked for hours to the botanist.
Midnight came. I said good night to everyone and departed. The botanist then turned to our host and said many nice things about me, including that I was a “most interesting conversationalist”.
An interesting conversationalist? I had said hardly anything at all. I couldn’t have said anything if I had wanted to without changing the subject, for I didn’t know any more about plants than I knew about sharks. But I had done this one thing; I had listened carefully. I listened because I was really interested. And he felt it. Naturally that pleased him. That kind of listening is one of the best ways to show respect to others, and it makes them feel great too. “Few human beings,” wrote Jack Woodford in Strangers in Love, “can resist the sweet effect of rapt（全神贯注的） attention.” I went even further than that. I was “sincere in my admiration and generous in my praise”. I told him that I had been hugely entertained and instructed. I told him I wished I had his knowledge. I told him that I should love to wander the fields with him. What’s more, it was all true.
And so I had him thinking of me as a good conversationalist when, in reality, I had only been a good listener and had encouraged him to talk.
1. From Paragraph 1, we can learn that the writer__________.| A．was deeply moved by the botanist’s talk | B．behaved politely and properly |
| C．was not in a comfortable situation | D．was amazed by what he was hearing |
| A．Giving attention to all those in attendance. |
| B．Listening carefully to what another guest says. |
| C．Arriving and leaving at the appropriate time. |
| D．Avoiding discussions about politics and religion. |
| A．Encouraging the other side by sharing his/her own opinions. |
| B．Listening attentively and encouraging the other side to continue. |
| C．Promising a future meeting for more communication. |
| D．Expressing respect by nodding his/her head |
On the last day of one voyage, the ship was in a small port. It was winter time, and the sea was very cold, so the captain said to his sailors, "If one of you stays in the water during the whole night, I will give him my ship. But if he comes out before the sun appears, I shall get his wages."
The sailors had heard about the captain's cheating, so they didn't trust him. But then one of them, who thought that he was cleverer than the captain, said that he would do it. He got into the water, and, though it was very cold, he stayed in it. When it was nearly morning, some fishermen lit a fire on the shore about half a mile away.
"You are cheating," the captain said to the sailor. "The fire's warming you."
"But it's half a mile away!" said the sailor.
"A fire's fire," answered the captain. "I have won."
The sailor came out of the water, and said, "Perhaps you think that you are clever because you have won my wages, but you can't cook a chicken."
"I can," answered the captain.
"If you cook this chicken," said the sailor, "I shall work for you without wages for seven years, but if you can't, you will give me your ship."
The captain agreed, took the chicken and said, "Where's the fire?"
"There it is," answered the sailor. "On the shore."
"But it's half a mile away," said the captain angrily.
"A fire's fire,' you said," answered the sailor. "If it is enough to warm me in the water, it is enough to cook your chicken."
1. The captain got the sailors' wages ________.
| A．to buy a chicken for himself |
| B．and kept the money for future use |
| C．by cheating him |
| D．and said he would return the money soon |
| A．All the sailors refused to get into the water because it was too cold. |
| B．The captain knew that the fire the fishermen made was enough to warm the sailor in the water. |
| C．The captain succeeded in cheating the sailor. |
| D．It was the sailor who was cleverer. |
| A．didn't want to lose the bet |
| B．didn't believe the sailor's success |
| C．wanted to keep his promise |
| D．wanted to show his cleverness |
| A．The sailors didn't trust the captain. |
| B．In order to help the sailor in the water, the fishermen made a fire. |
| C．The captain failed to cheat the sailor this time. |
| D．The sailor didn't get out of the water before the sun appeared. |
| A．How a Captain Cheated His Sailor |
| B．How a Sailor Got a Ship |
| C．A Brave Sailor |
| D．A Fire Is Fire |
8 . One day when a famous artist was on his way home, a young man stopped him and required to have a word with him. The artist accepted his request.
The young man asked, "How can you produce so many beautiful paintings and achieve your fame?"
The artist said, “It seems that you have been thinking of becoming famous every day.”
The young man nodded, "Yes. I have been dreaming of being a person as notable（著名的）as you. Every minute I am thinking of how to become reputable（著名的）.I don't know when I can achieve my fame.
The artist told him, "Don't worry, young man, If you want to be a famous man this way, you will have to wait until you die!”
“Why should I?” the young man was puzzled.
The artist said, “What your dream is actually a high building. You never think of how to build it with bricks. Thus the building will never come into reality. However, your story can serve as a mirror. People will remember you because of your idleness（闲散，无聊）and laziness. They will often speak of your name while they give warnings to their children. Aren't you a notorious（声名狼藉）person by then?"
1. The man asked the artist to tell him____.| A．how to paint so many pictures | B．how to become famous |
| C．how he became a nobleman | D．how to become an artist |
| A．he would die after he was famous | B．he would be famous before he died |
| C．he would die before he was famous | D．he would never be famous |
| A．his wish was too high | B．he was short of hardworking spirit |
| C．he didn't learn from others | D．he was too stupid |
| A．The young man will surely become famous after he dies. |
| B．The young man's dream will never come true. |
| C．Being notorious is the same as being famous. |
| D．The young man will be set as a good example. |
9 . An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money. When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother, "Only a miracle（奇迹）can save him now, " the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.
She hurried to a drugstore with the money in her hand.
"And what do you want? " asked the salesman. "It's for my little brother, " the girl answered. "He's really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle. " "Pardon? " said the salesman.
"My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?” "We don't sell a miracle here, child. I'm sorry, " the salesman said with a smile.
"Listen, if it isn't enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs."
A well-dressed man heard it and asked, "What kind of a miracle does your brother need?"
"I don't know, “she answered with her eyes full of tears. "He's really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can't pay for it, so I have brought all my money."
“How much do you have?" asked the man. "$ 1.11, but I can try and get some more," she answered.
"Well, what luck? smiled the man. " $ 1.11, the price of a miracle for your little brother. "
He took up the girl's hand and said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."
That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again.
How much did the miracle cost?
1. In the eye of the little girl, a miracle might be.| A．something interesting | B．something beautiful |
| C．some good food | D．some wonderful medicine |
| A．she had still kept some money |
| B．she hoped not to be refused |
| C．there was no need to worry about money |
| D．she thought money was easy to get |
| A．The girl's love for her brother. | B．The girl's money. |
| C．The medicine from the drugstore. | D．Nobody can tell. |
| A．Andrew was in fact not so sick as they had thought |
| B．the little girl is lovely but not so clever |
| C．the doctor didn't ask for any pay |
| D．a miracle is sure to happen if you keep on |
10 . Today, I felt terrible---my head was full of problems and confusion. I decided to take a walk even though I didn’t know where I would go. The most extraordinary thing happened when I was out on this walk. I saw an old man sitting on a chair. He was a seller of second-hand shoes. He seemed so tired and nobody was buying his shoes.
I wanted to give him something but I had not brought anything with me. Then, a little girl came toward him. I heard the child say, “Grandfather, may I polish your shoes?” That old man took pity on her, smiled and he gave her a shoe to polish. The girl said, “I polish the shoe because I need money to buy my brother a new school uniform.” The old man answered, “Oh, little girl. Just stop doing this. Come with me and I will buy you a uniform.”
Then they walked to a market (I followed behind) and he bought her a uniform. The girl was so happy. She said, “Thank you so much for doing this.” Then she left, leaving the old man smiling. He walked away from the market, but I stopped him.
I whispered in his ear, “You are a hero! Thank you for your kindness!” As I walked away, I glanced back and I could see him still smiling. I was blown away by the kindness I had just seen. Someone who had so little himself was able to show such incredible generosity! Amazing!
My own sadness had completely disappeared, chased away by the light of this kind act. I began realizing that I have a lot to be thankful for.
1. Why did the girl want to polish shoes for the old man?| A．To support the old man’s business. |
| B．To show her pity on the old man. |
| C．To earn money to buy something to her brother. |
| D．To attract the attention of passers-by to buy more shoes. |
| A．He has not enough to eat and wear. |
| B．He is very cold to others. |
| C．He is a kind and generous man. |
| D．He is in a poor health condition. |
| A．Friendly and caring. | B．Greedy and kind. |
| C．Enthusiastic and impatient. | D．Mean and sad. |
| A．Compared with helping others, personal sadness is not important. |
| B．One should live by one’s own work not by others’ help. |
| C．One shouldn’t look down upon the one who needs help. |
| D．Even though one has little, he should try to help others. |
