1 . Rachel’s artwork had been accepted into an internationally famous art exhibition after she had experienced many years of rejection and lack of recognition. After receiving the news, I could hardly contain myself and decided to celebrate it with her immediately. I took my handbag quickly and raced to the garage. Then I pulled the car door open, jumped into the driver’s seat, and shut the car door. I started the car and pedaled (踩踏板) to the metal. I was eager to go!
I was backing up, backing up when I heard and felt a BOOM! I looked around and realized that I didn’t press the button to open the garage doors first and blew out the garage door panels (嵌板)! I jumped out of the car and felt relieved to discover that I was able to push the panels back into the garage doors so they looked normal. I covered up the scene, got back into my car, and left for Rachel’s home.
That evening, my teenage son had been playing a game of solo catch to which, in the past, I wouldn’t agree, for the ball made some ugly dents (凹痕) on the garage doors. But this time when he threw the ball against one of the garage doors, he didn’t just dent the door—he demolished it!
He called me, “Mom, I’m so sorry. I know you told me not to play ball against the garage doors. I didn’t think I would break them, though.” Though I had wanted to let my son take the blame to teach him a lesson, I couldn’t do it. Besides, he wasn’t the only one who Iearned a lesson that day.
1. What can we infer about the writer from paragraph 1?| A．She felt excited. | B．She couldn’t drive. |
| C．She was rejected. | D．She became famous. |
| A．She could repair the door all by herself. | B．She could make the door appear normal. |
| C．She was lucky not to knock into the door. | D．She pressed the button and opened the door. |
| A．Painted. | B．Repaired. | C．Destroyed. | D．Removed. |
| A．Rules of Driving a Car | B．A Trouble My Son Caused |
| C．A Hard Road to Learning Art | D．Lessons from a Garage Door |
2 . When Sydney Raley headed into her weekend shift on Saturday, December 18, she likely expected to do more of the same: Stand at the drive-through window, take orders over the headset, and hand each customer their meal with a smile.
In fact, that’s exactly how it started. Sydney Raley has been working at McDonald’s for about seven months and so far, it’s been her typical after-school job. The day had been mostly normal—making coffee, making drinks, and going into the lunch rush.
But a few hours into her, shift, things took a dramatic turn. After handing a customer some of their food, Sydney let them know that more would be coming as soon as it was ready. But just seconds later, she noticed a terrible look of panic spread across the woman’s face. Then came the coughing. She was coughing like crazy and was speechless. Her daughter was in the passenger seat and looked extremely confused and frightened.
Sydney immediately knew she was choking. The first aid training Sydney received more than four years ago hit her. Most 15-year-olds might panic at the sight of this. But not Sydney. Instead, the teen remained calm and quickly shouted to her manager to dial 911. Then, she came to the rescue.
The teen pushed the driver’s side door forcefully open and got the choking woman to her feet. Then she dug down deep into her memory bank to recall everything she learned. All that training of how to use the Heimlich maneuver (海姆利克氏急救法) immediately kicked in. Still, she had never actually had to use the life-saving technique before, and after a few tries, it wasn’t quite working. She shouted to a man for assistance. The man heard Sydney’s cry and rushed over. Sydney briefed him on the situation, and the man did not hesitate to help the woman. He used the same Heimlich maneuver, but harder than Sydney. And happily, it worked this time, after which the woman threw up the food stuck in her throat and began gasping for air, and she was saved.
1. What did Sydney usually do during her after-school job?| A．Sold headsets. | B．Did vehicle washing. |
| C．Cleaned the windows. | D．Handed customers their meals. |
| A．Sydney’s daughter dialled 911. |
| B．A kid was choked when eating a hamburger. |
| C．A stranger finally drove the woman to hospital. |
| D．Sydney used the first aid skills she learned before. |
| A．Panic. | B．Calm. | C．Cold. | D．Clever. |
| A．A teen saves a woman’s life. | B．A different meal at McDonald’s. |
| C．How to get a good part time job. | D．What to do when facing a difficulty. |
3 . A very frightening thing happened on the weekend, but luckily a hero saved all. A New Jersey police officer safely caught a one-month-old baby dropped off a second-floor balcony over the weekend, authorities said.
The Hudson County prosecutor’s office said Officer Eduardo Matute was among those called to the Jersey City residence Saturday morning after reports that a man was threatening the baby.
NorthJersey.com reports that he and several officers were positioned below the second-floor balcony as the child was dangled over the balcony fence. Officials said the man dropped the baby after a long negotiation with the officers leader, and to the relief of everyone present, Matute caught the child on the spot.
City spokesperson Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said the child was taken to the hospital. Mayor Steve Fulop later posted a photo on social media of the officer holding the child, who was wrapped in a white blanket.
“Thankfully the baby wasn’t harmed physically,” Fulop said.
It wasn’t immediately clear what charges he would face. Other details weren’t available.
“Kudos to the JCPD and all the officers involved for their heroics and for bringing a safe conclusion to this dangerous situation,” the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
1. What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “dangled” in Paragraph 3?| A．Hung. | B．Fastened. | C．Exhibited. | D．Thrown. |
| A．Amazed. | B．Relieved. | C．Frightened. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．It lost its father. | B．It was seriously hurt. |
| C．It was completely safe. | D．It was without physical damage. |
| A．An Unknown Hero | B．A Lucky Dog |
| C．A Police Officer Saving a Baby | D．A Policeman Making a Breakthrough |
4 . Greg was driving one morning when he hit ice and collided (碰撞) with Cecilly Rudalavage of Ambler, Pennsylvania. No one was injured, and Greg was extremely apologetic as he and Cecilly examined their cars. As they spoke, Cecilly couldn’t help but notice that Greg had very few teeth in his mouth.
Greg had fallen victim to “one bad dentist after another”, leading to a lifetime of poverty, pain, food restrictions, and embarrassment. He seldom smiled or even opened his mouth, if he could help it. His self-confidence had been knocked down at every turn. “My ex-wife told me not to smile at the wedding and it was embarrassing.” he recalled.
The reason why Cecilly noticed and asked about his teeth was because she happened to be a dental implant (植牙) sales representative for Ditron Dental, USA and sold the same dental implant that Greg desperately needed! Cecilly decided on the spot to do something for the stranger. She reached out to her employer, who agreed to cover the cost of the dental components. She then contacted Dr. Simon Oh, an implant surgeon, who was known for doing charity work. Dr. Oh agreed to help, and they set a date.
Dr. Oh and his team performed Greg’s surgery after hours and free of charge. Using state-of-the-art technology, they created a 3D model of Greg’s skull (颅骨), which they used to fit him with permanent implants. Greg’s new smile was pretty beautiful! Better yet, he’s finally able to eat his favorite foods again and greet everyone he meets with a smile.
Cecilly was glad she was able to help a fellow human in need. She’s incredibly thankful to everyone who donated their time, effort, and products to give Greg his brilliant new smile. “If it wasn’t for everybody willing to work at no cost, then this wouldn’t have happened for Greg.”
Of all the cars Greg could have hit, he happened to hit the one driven by a dental implant sales representative! That’s what we call a “happy accident”.
1. What made Greg awkward?| A．He had to apologize for his fault. | B．He couldn’t smile at the wedding. |
| C．A woman laughed at his few teeth. | D．No dentists could treat his disease. |
| A．She used her resources available to help him. |
| B．She required him to pay for the damage to her car. |
| C．She applied new technology to transform his life. |
| D．She decided to cover the cost of his dental implant. |
| A．Greg was lucky to survive in the accident. |
| B．Greg hit the right person at the right time. |
| C．Cecilly was happy to live in a peaceful society. |
| D．Dr. Simon Oh performed Greg’s surgery easily. |
| A．A Chance Crash Gave a Man a New Smile |
| B．A Man Was Grateful for Everyone’s Kindness |
| C．A 3D Model of Teeth Saves a Victim of Dentists |
| D．A Happy Accident Happed to Two Lucky Drivers |
5 . I kept it in a special box and pulled it out when my brother was to arrive with his wife for New Year. I carried it to the dining room and unfolded the white tablecloth. Its colorful embroidery (刺绣) popped to life. The signatures of all the family and friends who’d ever shared a New Year meal at our table were hand-embroidered on top.
I’d started my embroidery New Year tradition 20 years before, since I wanted something that was uniquely ours — something we could look forward to.
The first time I laid out the clean white cloth and asked the kids to sign it, my family looked at me as if I were crazy. Write on the tablecloth we hoped to protect from jam and tea? Yes! And these days, I have grandkids to carry on the tradition. Each year I used a different color embroidery thread, so we could relive the highlights of particular gatherings. I saw my grandkids’ signatures go from scribbles (潦草的字) to print. We added drawings for milestones, such as a baby’s handprint.
The doorbell rang, and I ran to let in my brother, Tom, and his wife. They’d traveled from North Carolina for their first New Year with us. After greetings and hugs, I led them into the dining room. Tom looked wide-eyed at the tablecloth he had seen only in pictures. He gently touched our mom’s signature, and I put my hand on his, “I’m thankful to have started this while she was alive.”
More than something to look forward to, our tradition holds memories to look back on. Everyone we love is at our table when we sit down for New Year.
1. When does the author usually use the special tablecloth?| A．On her brother’s visit. | B．In New Year celebrations. |
| C．On her grandkids’ birthdays. | D．In some traditional holidays. |
| A．Delighted. | B．Discouraged. | C．Unbelievable. | D．Annoyed. |
| A．He was grateful to his mother. |
| B．He missed the author very much, |
| C．He would start a new tradition soon. |
| D．He had never signed on the tablecloth before. |
| A．The Importance of Family Ties |
| B．The Long-lasting New Year Memory |
| C．Special Family Tradition Holds Memory |
| D．Grandma’s New Year Present |
6 . I was given the book Running on Faith written by Jason Lester as a birthday gift last month. After I started reading, I really couldn't keep my eyes off it. It is always inspiring to read a story of someone who has gone through obstacles to reach his goals.
Jason Lester is a disabled (残疾的) extreme athlete. When he was twelve years old, a fast car ran a red light and hit him. Then he was sent into the hospital with twenty broken bones and . a famous baseball player, but at that a seriously injured arm. Jason had always wanted to become a time that dream was gone.
However, Jason loved sports and he still wanted to be a good athlete. He began running and taking part in duathlons( 铁人两项) in high school. Years later in 2004, he decided to start training for the Ironman, and has competed in many extreme races since then. In 2008, Jason became the first disabled athlete to complete the Ultraman (320 miles of biking, swimming and running) ,and it led him to an ESPY award ( 奖项) for Best Male Athlete with a Disability in 2009.
If you are in a bad situation and don't know what to do now, Running on Faith is a good book for you. If you love running and want to reach some race goals, this book is good for you, too. Anyway, this book is worth reading for everyone who loves reading and wants to turn dreams into reality.
1. What does the underlined word "obstacles" in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Arrangements. | B．Worries. |
| C．Difficulties. | D．Experiences. |
| A．He ran a red light and got injured. |
| B．He was seriously hurt in the accident. . |
| C．He lost the courage to be an extreme athlete. |
| D．He decided to play baseball after the accident. |
| A．Taking part in duathlons. |
| B．Training himself in running. |
| C．Competing in many extreme races. |
| D．Completing the Ultraman. |
| A．To show how dreams can come true. |
| B．To explain why Running on. Faith is popular. |
| C．To recommend reading Running on Faith. |
| D．To explore the way to be a good athlete. |
