1 . 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 |
2 . 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 |
3 . One morning a deer rushed into a courtyard where a little boy was playing. The deer hooked the boy’s clothing with its antlers (角). This scared the little boy so much that he let out a loud cry which brought his mother running out to see what was happening. She came out just in time and saw the deer running off towards the mountains with her little boy.
The mother was so afraid! She ran after the deer as fast as she could, and not too far away，she found her son sitting on the grass safely. Seeing his mother, the little boy laughed and reached out his arms to her. His mother held him tight. She was so happy that she cried.
She hurried back with her dear son. When she got home, she was amazed at what she saw. The huge tree behind her house had fallen down while she was out running after the deer. The whole house was destroyed under the tee’s great weight.
Then the mother remembered the day about a year before when a deer, fleeing from a hunter, had run into her house. She felt sorry for the frightened deer, so she covered it with some clothes and let it return to the forest.
The deer seemed to understand that she had saved its life. When leaving, it kept bowing its head to her, as if it were thanking her for her kindness.
She never imagined that the deer could remember her help. It somehow knew the tree was going to fall and kill her and her son, so it came back to save them.
When the mother remembered all this, she said, “Saving the life of another is the same as saving the life of your own.”
1. What happened when the mother ran out of the house?| A．A deer escaped into her house. | B．Her son was carried away by a deer. |
| C．The big tree behind her house fell down. | D．Her son was sitting safely on the ground. |
①The mother saved the deer from the hunter. ②The mother ran after the deer.
③The deer carried the boy away. ④The house was damaged by the fallen tree.
⑤The boy was found sitting on the ground safely.
| A．①④⑤②③ | B．①③②⑤④ | C．②①④⑤③ | D．④①⑤②③ |
| A．She was strong. | B．She was anxious. | C．She was kind. | D．She was smart. |
| A．A Life-saving Story | B．Woman Saving Her Son |
| C．Helping the Deer | D．Saving A Deer, Saving A Dear |
4 . Dolly Parton was one of the six honorees to receive the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy on Thursday night at Gotham Hall in New York. She was celebrated for her extraordinary contributions that make the world a better place.
It is thought that Dolly Parton has been quietly paying for the band uniforms of many Tennessee high schools for years. She used the songwriting payment she earned from Whitney Houston’s version of I Will Always Love You to purchase a shopping center in Nashville to support the surrounding black community in Houston’s honor.
Her “Imagination Library” provides children under age 5 with a free book every month. The library aims to inspire a love for reading through funding shared by Dolly Parton and local community partners in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. Currently, Parton sends out about 2 million free books each month. Parton has also donated many books to disaster relief. In 2021, she even raised $700,000 to help residents impacted by the terrible flooding in Middle Tennessee.
In her Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy speech, Parton said she didn’t really have a strategy for her donations. “I just give from my heart. I never know what I’m going to do or why I’m going to do it. I often see a need, and if I can meet it, then I will,” she said.
This year, Parton also carried out the Care More Program at her Dollywood Parks and Resorts, which gives employees a day off to volunteer at a nonprofit of their choice. Parton said, “I hope the program will let people realize that when they help somebody, they help themselves more.” “That’s what we should do as human beings,” she said. “I’ve never quite understood why we have to let religion and politics and other things stand in the way of just being good human beings. I think it’s important just to feel like you’re doing your part and doing something good and right.”
1. Why did Parton buy a shopping center?| A．To give aid to others. | B．To honor black leaders. |
| C．To pay for songwriting. | D．To support her music career. |
| A．To sell children’s books. |
| B．To collect money for disaster relief. |
| C．To motivate children’s interest in books. |
| D．To promote international financial cooperation. |
| A．She was forced to do charity. |
| B．She made donations occasionally. |
| C．She always helped those in need. |
| D．She used to make well-planned donations. |
| A．Giving is receiving. |
| B．Employees come first. |
| C．It is important to tell right from wrong. |
| D．Religion stands in the way of volunteering. |
5 . In 1992, when Xi Jinping worked in Fuzhou, he came across a newspaper report about “My Guling,” written by a Chinese student studying in the United States.
The report described an unsuccessful attempt by an American couple to revisit the small town of Guling in southern China. Her husband, Milton Gardner, spent 10 years here as a child before moving back to the United States in 1911.
Gardner later became a professor of physics at the University of California. He has been eager to return to Guling since China and the US established diplomatic relations in 1979. But because of his failing health, he never made the trip.
Gardner spent his final hours saying “Kuling, Kuling,” according to the newspaper.
After his death, his wife, Elizabeth Gardner, decided to carry out her husband’s last wish and has since made several trips to China to try to find the small city her husband loved so much. Her efforts were in vain as she had few clues (clues) as to the exact location of the town. But a Chinese student of the Gardner family identified the town as Guling, near Fuzhou, from a postmark on some of the late Mr. Gardner’s old mail. The student wrote an article about Gardner’s story and sent it to the People’s Daily, one of China’s leading newspapers.
“After I read the story, I immediately contacted Mrs. Gardner through the relevant authorities and invited her to visit,” told the press. There she met nine of her husband’s childhood friends, all of whom were over 90 at the time.
“She said she would cherish the friendship (bond) between her husband and the Chinese people, because after seeing the beautiful Guling and the warmth and goodwill of the Chinese people with her own eyes, she now understands why her husband is so attached to China.”
I believe there are many such touching stories between the Chinese and American people.
1. What can we infer from the passage?| A．Mr. and Mrs. Gardner were brought up in a southern Chinese town. |
| B．Soon after Milton Gardner left, the name of the town changed. |
| C．Guling might have been pronounced as Kuling in English originally. |
| D．Mrs. Gardner knew exactly where the small town lay in south China. |
| A．lived and worked in Guling for ten years |
| B．had few memories about the small Chinese town |
| C．kept in touch with his childhood playmates until he passed away |
| D．was deeply impressed by Guling’s people and environment; |
| A．The help from newspapers. | B．Mrs. Gardner’s hard efforts. |
| C．Mr. Xi’s concern and arrangement. | D．The Chinese student’s letter to Mr.Xi. |
| A．the Gardners’ story is a moving one with a happy ending |
| B．the Chinese student studying in the US must be from Fuzhou |
| C．the mails which became clues of Guling were sent by Gardner |
| D．the American couple revisited China trying to find Guling but in vain |
6 . One of the most pleasing sounds in sports is the rushing sound of a basketball swooshing (嗖嗖) through the net on a perfect shoot. Take away the net and all that’s left is the unsatisfying silence of a ball pushing air around as it sails through the rim (篮筐). Did it even go through? Sometimes it’s hard to tell.
Anibal Amador, a businessman from New York City, knows that basketball is nothing without the net. “Without the nets, it is just not good,” Amador said. “No one prefers to play that way.”
The New York City Parks Department is in charge of 1,800 basketball courts (球场) around the city’s five areas, where some of the best games in history have been played. It isn’t possible to keep nets on all the rims in all the parks, so the city doesn’t even try.
“I understand it,” Amador said, “because there are just so many parks that they would have to be putting up nets all the time. That’s where I come in.” He often digs into his own pocket to buy new nets for playground rims.
So, for the past few years, Amador has been buying basketball nets and tying them at a handful of playgrounds near his home in Midtown Manhattan.
Amador’s small act is one of many little acts of selflessness that are likely to go unnoticed yet help keep the quality of life to some degree in a large crowded city. “I think he works for the city,” a player said. “He is ready to spend his money and time. He is very careful about small details. He brings out a long brush and wipes down the backboards. I’ve never seen that before.”
Many stars have pet names. Amador was asked if he had one. Smiling happily, he replied, “I was thinking maybe. the Net Changer.”
1. What is the first paragraph about?| A．The rules of basketball games. | B．The importance of basketball nets. |
| C．The skill of shooting a clean basket. | D．The way to tell a good basketball shot. |
| A．He did his own bit. | B．He did not care at all. |
| C．He expressed his worry. | D．He talked the city into doing its duty. |
| A．Small Net, Big Heart | B．Amador’s Road to Fame |
| C．Amador’s Basketball Dream | D．Common Man, Unusual Goal |
7 . Two tickets. Only two tickets to the big quarter-finals basketball game. Three pairs of eyes all focused on the tickets in Dad’s outstretched hand. Marcus, the oldest, spoke out the question running through everyone’s mind: “Only two tickets? But, Dad, which of us gets to go with you?”
“Yeah, Daddy, who gets to go?” repeated Caleb, the youngest.
“Dad, can’t you get any more tickets?” I asked. I might be the in-between sister, but I was just as eager as my basketball-crazy brothers who were eager for a night out with Dad. “I’m afraid not,” Dad answered. “I guess I’ll have to figure out a fair way of choosing among the three of you by tomorrow morning. I’ll have to decide who deserves it most. Let me sleep on it”
The next morning, Dad and Mom went to the library. And he said we should all get started on our Saturday chores as soon as we finished breakfast.
“Chores!” Marcus said, “How can we concentrate on chores when the big game is eleven hours away?” Then he and Caleb went downstairs to play basketball.
I looked at the breakfast table in front of me. Well, it seemed that Saturday morning chores started right there. I did dishes first. Then I lifted the lid on the garbage container and placed the full plastic bag inside.
As I began to replace the lid on the garbage container, a white envelope on the inside of the heavy black plastic lid caught my attention, it must have stuck to the lid by accident. But then I noticed that the envelope was actually taped to the inside of the lid, and someone had written the word “Congratulations!” on the front of the envelope.
I opened the envelope and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “To the one who deserves to go.” the paper read, and inside of it was a ticket to the basketball game!
1. What did the three children care about most?| A．Who would get the chance. | B．Which team would win. |
| C．When the game would be held. | D．What they would do for the game. |
| A．He made them play basketball. | B．He asked them some questions. |
| C．He gave them a special test. | D．He watched them doing chores. |
| A．Marcus was younger than Caleb. | B．Only the author took Dad’s words seriously. |
| C．The author liked basketball best. | D．Caleb played basketball better than Marcus. |
| A．Curious and doubtful. | B．Ashamed and regretful. |
| C．Confused and stressful. | D．Surprised and excited. |
8 . Hua Sheng and Lu Sheng, a retired Tibetan couple, have become trailblazers (开拓者) of grape growing and winemaking in their old ages.
Lu Sheng learned grape planting and winemaking from her grandmother’s sister. Since they retired, the couple have moved to Lhasa from the village of Yakhadi. Though the fact that the region’s capital, which is 3,600 meters above sea level, is considered unfit for growing grapes, Lu Sheng and Hua Sheng began an ambitious project in 2015, planting grapes in Tsalna, a town in the suburb of Lhasa.
They received support from the local government, which is committed to developing business and the economy. The couple’s project provides jobs for rural residents, and, as a result, the government has considered the project part of its poverty relief program.
“Lhasa is an ideal place for planting French grape varieties that are resistant to cold, drought and disease, and adaptable to high-altitude and open-air planting,” Lu Sheng said.
“Thanks to the plateau’s sunshine and organic planting, our grapes grow very well here in Lhasa. The grapes are a bit sour and sweet, and they have a high anthocyanin (花青素) content,” she said. Anthocyanins, which accumulate (积累) in grape cells and contribute rich color to wine, are water-soluble(水溶性的).
In 2018, Hua Sheng and Lu Sheng expanded their project, planting on nearly 6.67 hectares. In order to familiarize Tibetan farmers with grape planting and winemaking, they taught the skills to local villagers.
“We have successfully taught the local farmers how to grow grapes and make wine over the three years. They now have a new source of income besides traditional farming and herding,” Hua Sheng said.
Yudron, a resident of Nam, said she was grateful to the grape planting project in her village, which has contributed to her income and quality of life. “After working in the vine-yards for years, now we know how to make wine. We drink both barley and grape wine now. We love grape wine more, though, as it is healthier.”
1. What did the couple do after their retirement?| A．They grew grapes and made wine in Lhasa. |
| B．They made friends with a French expert. |
| C．They moved to another city from Lhasa. |
| D．They learned grape planting from Hua Sheng’s grandmother. |
| A．They donated grapes to local schools. |
| B．They employed local residents as workers. |
| C．They provided free wine for villagers. |
| D．They expanded the project with the local government. |
| A．They make grapes more delicious. |
| B．They provide adequate colors for wine. |
| C．They make grapes a bit sour and sweet. |
| D．They can accelerate the growth of grapes. |
| A．indifferent | B．cautious |
| C．appreciative | D．concerned |
9 . Almost eight years ago, Al Nixon decided to begin each day from a bench (长凳) with a wonderful view of the beach in St. Petersburg, Florida. “I call it ‘life rising’ because watching a sunrise clears my head and keeps me centered before starting my day,” says Nixon, who works for the city’s water department. It’s Nixon’s own way to get inspired and started.
A year later, a woman stopped and said, “You know, every morning when I see you sitting here, I know that everything is going to be OK.” That’s when he realized people mattered to each other. He decided to reconsider the role of his daily practice and pay attention to the people walking past.
Instead of looking straight ahead at the beach, Nixon started smiling at people and striking up conversations. Pretty soon, more than a few early risers began joining him on the bench. Every morning, Nixon drives seven miles to the beach, where he’ll stay for two hours. His presence, his openness to listen and his kindness toward strangers have led some to call him the Sunshine Mayor. Nixon is this calm, constant presence. His unique gift is that he listens to everyone. He listens without judgment and without any kind of return expected.
No matter what problem a person wants to air, Nixon lends an ear, even developing some unlikely friendships.
He remembers the day when a couple came by to talk about problems in their relationship. “The husband was always working, rarely home,” Nixon says. “It was ruining their marriage. I told him, ‘My friend, if your wife’s words didn’t scare you, then maybe the possibility of losing her will.’” Nixon was right, the man admitted. “He started to cry and agreed that he needed to slow down,” says Nixon. “We all hugged each other, and we became friends after that. I still see them every now and then over lunch.”
1. Why did Nixon start his day from a bench at first?| A．To inspire others. | B．To wait for a woman. |
| C．To get peace and energy. | D．To improve physical health. |
| A．He likes to express himself. | B．He gets up early every morning. |
| C．He looks at the better side of life. | D．He shines his inner light on others. |
| A．The Power of Listening | B．The Kindness of Friends |
| C．The Making of a Great Man | D．The Value of Determination |
10 . From the age of 6, Samirah Horton was bullied (欺凌) by her classmates for the things that made her different — her size and her sharp voice. Rather than giving up, Horton decided to pick up a microphone and make sure other children knew they weren’t alone. “I didn’t want other kids to go through that experience,” says Horton, “especially at a very young age.” Now, alongside attending eighth grade classes, she’s also building an anti-bullying platform to reach students across the country.
For as long as Horton remembers, she's felt a special connection to music. She remembers her mother always having the radio on, and her father teaching her how to deejay (主持) . Music gives her unlimited power to do the duty. “It’s music that fuels my mission, allowing me to spread this important message,”she says. Now as the Kid DJ for her hometown team, you can hear anything from the hip-hop classics to songs of her own, including the anti-bullying song “No You Won’t Bully Me”.
Her message has reached beyond the DJ set. At 8. Horton turned one of her songs into a 26-page picture book, which has reached thousands of people across America. In the book, she references the over 160,000 students who miss school daily for fear of being bullied.
Horton isn’t sure exactly what the future holds, but for now, she’s positive about leading her school’s student government. “I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing, but I know I’ll be making a positive influence on the world,” she says. She’s already on her way, but her biggest achievement in her own eyes is persuading others not to doubt themselves along the way. “Don’t care what anybody tells you,” she says. “You are never too young to make a change.”
1. Why was Horton bullied?| A．Because of her age. | B．Because of her weight. |
| C．Because of her grades. | D．Because of her hobby. |
| A．Task. | B．Anger. | C．Skill. | D．Curiosity. |
| A．Fear invites danger. | B．No voice is too small. |
| C．Success is peace of mind. | D．Imperfections are beauty. |
| A．A Picture-Book Writer |
| B．A Hip-Hop Music Lover |
| C．An Environmental Activist |
| D．An Anti-Bullying Advocate |
