1 . To those normal kids, it’s not unusual to hear “Goodnight” when you kiss them, saying “Goodnight” to them. For most parents, it’s just a storm in a teacup. However, for me it’s opposite.
My son James, suffered from the autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Some people with ASD may have advanced conversation skills whereas James is an exception.
Pre-diagnosis, I’d give James a big kiss and whisper goodnight when putting James to bed. Post-diagnosis, the silence that I received in return was deafening. It had never occurred to me before to be concerned that when I said “Goodnight, James. I love you”, my toddler said nothing in response.
I needed to hear him say something. My husband and I began to promote James to say goodnight back to us. “Say goodnight, Mommy.” For over a year, “Say goodnight, Mommy” was the parting routine of the day. Every night, it made me cry. I never got used to it. But I never gave up hope.
With more efforts, one night, I’d hear something more organic come out of James’s mouth. He dropped the “say”— and his response became “goodnight, Mommy” when James turned four. It was fantastic — but it was still prompted. At six, I got my first unprompted, “Goodnight, Mommy. I love you.” Next to my wedding, and births of my children, this was the most exciting night of my life.
James, now eight, routinely kisses us goodnight and tells us he loves us. The other evening, after giving me a big hug and kiss, James told me, “You’re a great mom! You’re not a mom with feathers, or a mom with colors and markers. I’m glad you’re a... a person!” I don’t know if he had the book Are You My Mother? on his mind, or if this was just one of the many random thoughts that crossed my son’s brain on a daily basis. I do know it was music to my ears.
1. What do most parents think of a kiss goodnight from their normal children?| A．It’s an advanced conversation skill. | B．It’s a precious routine they treasure. |
| C．It’s a privilege they take for granted. | D．It’s a good way to recover from ASD. |
| A．He was too talkative. | B．He couldn’t say anything. |
| C．He daren’t sleep alone. | D．He was lack of security. |
| A．It has evolved over time. | B．It always upsets his parents. |
| C．It benefits face-to-face talk. | D．It helps exercise James’ mind. |
| A．The Cycles of Life | B．A Mom with Feathers |
| C．The Symptoms of ASD | D．Unusual Bedtime-Routines |
2 . I was born in a poor community on the north side of Boston, US, raised by a single mother who didn’t finish 3rd grade, lived each day on food stamps and attended what the media called “the most dysfunctional (功能失调的) public school district”. Not many people expected much of me, so I had to expect.
On my 13th birthday, I bought a poster of Harvard to hang in my room. Being at Harvard became what I dreamt about. Even if my electricity was cut off, I still woke up at 5:30, because I knew that my poster of Harvard was still hanging only two feet away from me.
Reminding myself of my goal each day made it easy to say no to the same choices I saw my peers making, because those paths wouldn’t have had me closer to my goal. Being poor could not take away my power to decide what I choose to do with my day. The poster gave me the courage to send emails to about 50 Harvard students to ask for feedback on my application essays; it gave me the energy to study just one more hour on my SATs when my friends were asleep; and it gave me the determination to submit just one more scholarship application when 180 others had already turned me down.
Every day, I could feel myself getting closer and closer to my goal as my writing got better, my SAT score increased, and my scholarship checks started coming in. Finally, an email arrived from Harvard. The first word was “Congratulations!” A month later, Harvard flew me up to visit the campus where for the first time I stepped onto my dreaming land.
Who you are today is the result of the decisions you made yesterday, and who you will be tomorrow will be the result of the choices you make today. Who do you want to be tomorrow?
1. What can we learn about the author from the first two paragraphs?| A．All people expected too much of him. |
| B．He grew up in a happy family. |
| C．He accepted the greatest education. |
| D．He had high expectation of himself. |
| A．He spent more time preparing for the exams. |
| B．He learnt from his peers from time to time. |
| C．He often wrote feedbacks on others’ essays. |
| D．He turned to his teacher when facing problems. |
| A．Intelligent and humorous. | B．Generous and selfless. |
| C．Determined and hardworking. | D．Courageous and friendly. |
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．Perseverance can help realize your dream. |
| C．Easier said than done. |
| D．It’s never too late to study. |
3 . An old man lived with his little grandson. Every day the old man got up early to read books.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I want to read books as you do. But I always forget what I read. What are the advantages of reading?”
The grandfather didn’t answer him, but said, “Take this little basket to the river and bring me back a basket of water.” The boy did as his grandpa said, but all the water leaked out before he got back home. The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to walk faster next time.”
The next time the boy ran faster, but the basket was still empty before he returned home. The boy said, “See, Grandpa, it’s no use!”
“Is it no use?” the old man said. “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and found that the basket was different. It was cleaner, inside and out.
“That’s what happens when you read books. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read them, you will be changed, inside and out.”
1. What did the old man do every day?| A．He carried water. | B．He wrote something. |
| C．He read books. | D．He did some chores. |
| A．was too busy to do it | B．got up late |
| C．he slept late | D．always forgot what he read |
| A．Twice. | B．Once. | C．Three times. | D．Four times. |
4 . In a quiet Northern California neighborhood, Michael seemed like a normal 11-year-old boy. His family made use of the Californian sunshine to grow orange trees and roses. All seemed good from the outside, but Michael was troubled.
Since he was taken in at 3 years old, Michael never really connected with his parents. There was a strictness about them that his nature couldn’t understand, and he was left to himself to sort out (整理) confusing feelings and the need for connection.
Without the tie a young boy needs at home, Michael often found himself down the street at his best friend’s house. Of course, the two boys laughed, read picture books and ate junk food. But the real reason why Michael liked his friend’s home was Mr. Christensen. He was the kind of father who understands boys.
With Mr. Christensen, the boys spent hours in the garage fixing an old sports car. They drove up the California coast at high speed, feeling the salt wind wash over them. The car was too loud to allow for any conversation, which was fine with Michael. He didn’t yet know how to express his feelings; for the time being, just being able to feel them was enough.
For many young boys, the language of connection is written in the wrenches (扳手) they and their parents turn, the wrestling matches they watch, the hours of their watching clouds race by overhead. Mr. Christensen understood that boys need time to learn this language. He knew a boy learns respect and duty by being loved in an unspoken way.
Some 50 years later, Michael remembers his time with Mr. Christensen. “My own father couldn’t raise me, so I was given away. My adoptive father (养父) did his best but never allowed a relationship to form between us. Luckily for me, I had Mr. Christensen. I have tried to be the kind of father he was, teaching, having fun and spending time with my child.”
1. What was the problem with young Michael?| A．He had to do hard work on the farm. |
| B．He dropped out of school with his best friend. |
| C．He was given up by his parents as a little kid. |
| D．He was treated badly by his adoptive parents. |
| A．Strong wind. | B．Too loud noise. | C．Busy repair work. | D．Driving excitement. |
| A．By taking part in competitions. | B．Through communication. |
| C．By studying hard. | D．Through doing things together. |
| A．Mr. Christensen. | B．His friends. |
| C．His own father. | D．His adoptive parents. |
5 . Some of my earliest memories involve sitting with my dad in his study every night when he came home from the office. I’d watch as he put his personal items away: his watch, wallet, comb and car keys. They would always occupy the same spot on the table every time.
Dad’s comb was jade green. I heard he bought it when he married Mum. Every night, he would smile, hand me the comb and say, “Be a good girl and help Daddy clean it, OK?”
I was more than happy to do it. At age five, this kind of task brought me such joy. I would excitedly turn the tap on, and then brush the comb with a used toothbrush as hard as I could. Satisfied that I’d done a good job, I would proudly return the comb to Dad. He would smile at me, and place the comb on top of his wallet.
About two years later, Dad left his sales job and started his own wholesale business. I started primary school. That was when things started to change. Dad’s business wasn’t doing so well, and our stable life started getting shaky. He didn’t come home as much as he used to. And when he did come home, it was always late and I’d already be in bed. I started to get mad. Why didn’t he listen to Mum and just stick to his old job? Why take the risk and place the whole family in trouble? Over the years, I stopped waiting for him to come home, and stopped going downstairs to check on him.
Now 28, I’ve graduated from college and got a job. Dad’s business has also started to get back on track. Yet the uncomfortable silence between Dad and me went on.
Two days before my birthday last year, Dad came home early. On that evening, I helped him carry his bags into his study as usual. When I turned to leave, he asked me to clean his comb. I looked at him for a while, then took the comb and headed to the sink.
It was a new comb. This one was brown. I hadn’t noticed that he’d changed it. After cleaning it, I passed it back to Dad. He looked at it and smiled. But this time, I noticed something different. My dad had aged. He had wrinkles next to his eyes when he smiled, yet his smile was still as heartwarming as before.
1. From the first three paragraphs, we can learn .| A．the earliest memories with Dad were full of joy |
| B．the precious green comb of Dad was made of jade |
| C．the author was unwilling to clean the comb for Dad |
| D．the author would study together with Dad every evening |
| A．That he was eager to get everything on track. | B．That he wanted to keep his family life stable. |
| C．That he was laid off and had to make a living. | D．That he hoped to earn a better life for the family. |
| A．cheerful→ mad→ warm. | B．mad → satisfied → warm. |
| C．satisfied → worried → angry. | D．warm → concerned → uncomfortable. |
| A．A Comb of Jade Green | B．Dad’s Wholesale Business |
| C．Evenings with My Dad | D．My Earliest Memories with Dad |
6 . 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．Grace. | C．The former vet. | D．Bronwyn. |
| A．He came back by air. |
| B．He was killed in the dogfighting. |
| C．He was given to Grace by Bronwyn. |
| D．He moved to British Columbia with the family. |
| A．Anxious and shocked. | B．Excited and joyful. |
| C．Confused and annoyed. | D．Hopeful and calm. |
| A．A travel brochure. | B．A news report. |
| C．A geography text book. | D．A health magazine. |
7 . In a certain village lived a farmer and his only son. The son was a thief who always went about stealing from people’s homes. He continued this bad lifestyle till the day his cup got filled. He stole heavy sum of money from the richest man in their village, but that day he didn’t escape successfully as he used to. The rich man contacted the police immediately when he found out that his money was missing and the police started investigating, and finally they found out that the boy stole the money so they sent him to prison.
After some months, it was time for farming and the farmer was already old and weak and couldn’t dig the ground any more, so the old farmer wrote this letter to his son in prison. “Son, this year I will not plant cassava and yam because I can’t dig the field, I know if you were here you would have helped me”. The son was really touched by his father’s letter so he thought of a plan, and replied his father “Dad, don’t even think of digging the field because that’s where I buried the money I stole”.
On reading this letter, the policeman went early in the morning and dug the whole field in search of the money but nothing was found. The next day the son wrote his father again “Dad, you can now plant your cassava and yam. This is the best I can do from here.”
Dad replied “My son, you are too powerful indeed, even in prison you still command policemen to work for me. I was so surprised to see the policeman and his team holding hoes and shovels, digging my farm. Next time I will write to you when I want to harvest.
1. What happened to the boy after he got caught stealing?| A．He was punished by the rich man. |
| B．He was arrested and questioned by the police |
| C．He was sentenced to imprisonment. |
| D．He returned the stolen money to its original owner. |
| A．Think outside the box. |
| B．Every bean has its black. |
| C．Slow and steady wins the race. |
| D．Fortune favors the brave. |
| A．The boy buried the stolen money in his father’s field. |
| B．The police believed what the boy wrote in the letter to his father. |
| C．The boy had the power to command the police to dig the field for his father. |
| D．The police would come and dig the field again when his father want to harvest. |
| A．favorable | B．indifferent | C．disapproving | D．negative |
8 . Chen Xingrong, 16, was born with autism(自闭症). “We did not understand why such a thing would happen to us,” says Chen’s father Chen Xunhu. He quit his job at a computer company and devoted his full attention to helping his son. In 2012, Chen Xunhu learned that swimming could help people with autism improve their articulation (发音) and physical growth, so he spent months teaching his son to swim.
“The efforts made no difference in the first three months,” he recalls. To his surprise, after another three months, he discovered that his son had developed the ability to control his breath under water, which significantly boosted his confidence. “I used to plan all his exercises for him, but now it is all up to him,”says the father. “He decides how many exercises he wants to do, and we respect his choices.” In spite of all the hardships in life, Chen Xingrong managed to become an outstanding swimmer, thanks to constant training and the support of his parents. Last year, he won five medals, including a gold, at the 11th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the eighth National Special Olympic Games.
In 2010, an autism-themed film, titled Ocean Heaven, hit the big screen in China. It describes how a dying father attempts to teach his son the necessary life skills to live without him. “My wife and I watched the film in the theater,” he says. “We wept uncontrollably because we could resonate with the film’s characters.”
Since then, as well as swimming, helping his son learn basic life skills is also an important aim for the father. Thanks to his efforts, Chen Xingrong has learned to buy food in the market in their neighborhood He also does voluntary jobs at supermarkets and fast-food restaurants, such as arranging shelves and cleaning dining tables. “He is part of the community, and I hope he will live a normal life in the future. There is nothing that we want more than that,” says Chen Xunhu.
1. Why was Chen Xingrong arranged to swim by his father?| A．To realise his potential of swimming. | B．To overcome his problem of articulation. |
| C．To become a well-known athlete. | D．To develop his ability to breath. |
| A．His father’s professional instruction. | B．His own special gift for swimming. |
| C．His physical disability and hardship in life. | D．His determination and his parental love. |
| A．Work together. | B．Get along. | C．Fall in love. | D．Share common feelings. |
| A．Chen Xingrong has devoted to volunteer jobs. |
| B．Chen Xingrong is trying to earn much money. |
| C．Chen Xingrong is learning to adapt to society. |
| D．Chen Xingrong has quitted his swimming career. |
9 . Back from the beach I found an envelope on the doorstep. It was the fifth envelope with my latest photographs. This time I decided to check with the hotel reception. At the reception desk, a middle-aged man introduced himself, “Hello, Ms. Drew. I am Benson living at Room No. 14...I put the envelopes...”
“What the hell? How can you click my snap (快照)... ” I was interrupted by him signaling to walk with him. We silently arrived at Room No.14. A fair, curly haired, ten-year-old girl opened the door.
“This is my daughter Agnes ... She snapped your photographs.”
She smiled bitterly at me and told me I reminded her of her lost mom.
I replied, “ It’s all right honey, if that can make you happy ....”
Day-to-day evening walks made us closer. Agnes saw her mother in me and I reverted (回复) the feelings lovingly. After a week I left as my work in the city had got over. A tearful Agnes bid me goodbye promising in touch.
Each season Agnes greeted me with long mails about “her school”, “her vacation with dad”, “her new year” and much more. The maternal (母亲般的) bond lasted for three years until all my letters were suddenly unanswered. I wondered what could be the reason.
One day my husband came with a plan for the weekend. Then unconsciously we drove down to the beach road heading to the hotel where I met Agnes. A group of girls walled to the seaside with two elderly ladies who looked like their caretakers. A little girl who sat all alone caught my attention. She looked familiar but thin, dark and her face was full of scars (伤疤).
“Agnes... how come? What happened to you?”
Her tearful blue eyes looked sad. One of the caretakers told me that a car accident had killed her dad and this was the first time she responded to any other individual. Agnes lay on my chest deep asleep as I inquired about “orphan (孤儿) adoption formalities”. The little angel hugged, tightly on my shoulders. The sun finally fully emerged out of the vast water expanse to shine brightly over us...
1. What did the author feel when she saw her snaps for the fifth time at the door?| A．She was annoyed. | B．She showed no interest. |
| C．She remained clam. | D．She felt surprised. |
| A．To enlarge her social circle. | B．To meet her emotional need |
| C．To show off her photographing skill. | D．To satisfy her great curiosity. |
| A．She arranged the meeting. | B．A caretaker helped her. |
| C．Her husband planned it. | D．It was a pure chance. |
| A．Agnes and Me | B．My Adventure |
| C．A Girl Who Lost Her Parents | D．The Life Story of Agnes |
10 . As a young man, Al was a skilled artist. He had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his oldest son developed a stomachache. Thinking it was only some common illness, neither Al nor his wife took the condition very seriously. But the illness became serious, and the boy died suddenly that night.
Knowing the death could have been prevented if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, Al’s emotional health was weakened under the effect of his guilt. To make matters worse, his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his sixyearold younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than Al could handle, and he began to take in a lot of alcohol and became an alcoholic．
As the alcoholism progressed, Al began to lose everything he had—his home, his land, his art objects, everything. Eventually Al died alone in a San Francisco motel room.
When I heard of Al’s death, I thought he was a loser because he ended his life with nothing material to show for it.
As time went by, I began to change my judgment. You see, I knew Al’s now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most caring, most loving men I have ever known. I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free flow of love between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.
One day, Ernie told me, “From my earliest memories as a child until I left home at 18, my dad came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ‘I love you, son.’”
Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to judge Al as a failure. He had not left any material possessions behind. But he left love to his son, who became one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known.
1. Which of the following is true about Al according to the passage?| A．He used to have a happy family. | B．He lost his sons when he was young. |
| C．He went through the hard times bravely. | D．He died with his family around him. |
| A．It refers to a person who has lost his children. |
| B．It refers to a person who drinks too much alcohol. |
| C．It refers to a person who trades alcohol for a living. |
| D．It refers to a person who has mental diseases. |
| A．He has a kind and loving heart. | B．He loses courage just like his father. |
| C．He himself is now an alcoholic too. | D．He also has an unhappy family. |
| A．taking any disease seriously is really important |
| B．love and kindness can pass on to the next generation |
| C．it is not good to judge others easily |
| D．emotional health can affect one’s life |
