1 . I lay in the hospital bed with my six-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, holding her in my arms. “Mommy, will you stay with me the whole time?” she asked, looking up. “You know I can’t be in the operating room,” I said carefully, not wanting to frighten her. “But Daddy and I will be waiting right outside.” Elizabeth nodded, but she stills looked anxious.
Elizabeth had broken her right leg in July. Seven months later, it still hadn’t recovered. In fact, it had gotten worse. She was here in the hospital for surgery.
I wanted to promise that this would be the last time she’d have to go through this and that everything would be okay. But what if something went wrong again? How could I comfort my daughter when I needed comfort myself?
There was a knock at the door. A nurse? I thought. Time to say goodbye already? But the woman who came in wasn’t a nurse. “Hi,” the woman said. “I’m a volunteer here, and I’ve got something for Elizabeth.” She handed a bright-blue box to my daughter.
Elizabeth sat up and took the box. She opened it and started pulling out goodies one by one--candies, stickers, a lovely toy in the shape of a star. She hugged the star, cheering up for the first time since she entered the hospital. “Thank you,” she said. “I love them.” There was a big smile on her face. It has been so long since I saw that big smile.
The gift was a great comfort not only to my daughter, but also to me.
1. Why did the author’s daughter feel nervous?| A．She would have surgery on her arm. |
| B．The author had no time to play with her. |
| C．She had to stay in the hospital for a long time. |
| D．The author couldn’t stay in the operating room with her. |
| A．there was no time for her to do so. | B．she wasn’t sure of the result herself. |
| C．she believed everything would be okay. | D．she thought there was no need for her to do so. |
| A．To offer a gift box. | B．To say goodbye. |
| C．To provide medical care. | D．To get all the things ready. |
| A．Nervous. | B．confused. | C．Surprised. | D．Cheerful. |
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 . Think Before You Snap (拍照)
Fans have always done crazy things to get up close and personal with their idols, but one Irish cycling fan may have just taken things a step too far. David McCarthy was watching the Giro d’ltalia as it passed through the streets of Dublin. He was standing at the finish line when the German cyclist Marcel Kittel fell down in exhaustion in front of him.
It wasn’t long before his post attracted large amounts of negative comments.
The apology was forwarded on to Kittel, who seemed to be able to see the funny side. He responded to the young Irish fan about the lessons we learn in life, adding a story of his own about a time he was caught by his grandmother dangerously playing with fireworks.
| A．McCarthy got annoyed. |
| B．However, there is a happy end to the story. |
| C．That’s what he has learned from the incident. |
| D．It seemed the public were angry with his selfie. |
| E．I didn’t think the photo would cause such great offence. |
| F．Hopefully, McCarthy has learned his lesson and will think twice before he snaps. |
| G．McCarthy seized this perfect opportunity to take a selfie with the exhausted cyclist. |
4 . At the foot of the Tianmu Mountain in Zhejiang, a homestay (民宿) is attracting travelers from far and wide, which has won architectural (建筑学的) medal at the 2021 German IF Design Awards.
The owners of the homestay are a couple in their late 30s who decided to return to their hometown three years ago. Li Xiumei used to be in charge of a division at a company in Hangzhou, and her husband was a sales director. It was an ordinary situation where Li’s husband was on business trips a lot and Li worked overtime on weekends. City life sometimes is not easy.
In 2018, they quit jobs and went back to Dongtianmu village, which lies in a forest of bamboo. The first time they drove into the village was one late afternoon. The cooking smoke was rising from the foot of the mountain, which gave them a very different feeling from the city.
The homestay was built beside her husband’s old countryside house. The old house is preserved (保留), while a brand-new building was built on its side and the whole site is made up of four courtyards. It has been updated to have a hall, a tea room, a kitchen, a dining room. Japanese cherry trees are planted in the east courtyard. A swimming pool is placed in the west courtyard, with a bar located on one side.
Li and her husband love gardening and music, and their new home gives them enough space to continue their interests and relax in the heart of nature. Li wants to share the quiet country life, so she makes her new home a homestay. In 2019, the homestay became an online hit after guests shared their experiences on social media. “The longer I stay here, the more I feel it was the right choice to come back, and this is more meaningful than making money,” Li says.
1. How did Li feel about city life?| A．Satisfied. | B．Tired. | C．Attractive. | D．Noisy. |
| A．The smoke of cooking. | B．The forest of bamboo. |
| C．The smell of the village. | D．The feeling of loneliness. |
| A．It is ancient and broken. | B．It can hold many guests. |
| C．It has been rebuilt by the couple. | D．It must have been carefully designed. |
| A．Continuing their music dream. | B．Staying at the old house. |
| C．Living in the countryside. | D．Developing the economy of cities. |
5 . One wet, rainy April afternoon Miss O’ Shay, the principal, sent for Nancy Lee to stop by her office as school closed. Pupils without umbrellas or raincoats crowded in doorways hoping to make it home between showers. Outside the skies were grey. Nancy Lee’s thoughts were suddenly grey, too.
She did not think she had done anything wrong, yet that tight (紧的) little knot came in her throat just the same as she came near Miss O’ Shay’ s door. Perhaps she had banged her locker too often and too hard. Perhaps the note in French she had written to Sallie halfway across the study hall just for fun had never got to Sallie but into Miss O’ Shay’ s hands instead. She knocked on Miss O’ Shay’ s door. That familiarly solid and competent voice said, “Come in.” Miss O’ Shay had a way of making you feel welcome, even if you camo to be punished. “Sit down, Nancy Lee Johnson,” said Miss O’ Shay. “I have something to tell you.” Nancy Leesat down. “But I must ask you to promise not to tell anyone yet.” “I won’ t, Miss O’ Shay,” Nancy Lee said, wondering what on earth the principal had to say to her. “You are about to graduate,” Miss O’ Shay said. “And we shall miss you. You have been an excellent student, Nancy, and you will not be without honors on the senior list, as I am sure you know.” At that point there was a light knock on the door. Miss O’ Shay called out, “Come in,” and Miss Dietrich entered. “May I be part of this, too?” she asked, tall and smiling. “Of course,” Miss O’ Shay said. “I was just telling Nancy Lee what we thought of her. But I hadn’ t got around to giving her the news. Perhaps, Miss Dietrich, you’ d like to tell her yourself.”
Miss Dietrich was always direct. “Nancy Lee,” she said, “your picture has won the Artist Club scholarship.” The brown girl’s eyes widened, her heart jumped, then her throat tightened again. She tried to smile, but instead tears came to her eyes. “Dear Nancy Lee,” Miss O’ Shay said, “we are so happy for you.” The elderly white woman took her hand and shook it warmly while Miss Dietrich smiled with pride.
Nancy Lee must have danced all the way home. She never remembered quite how she got there through the rain. She hoped she had been calm. But certainly she hadn’t stopped to tell anybody her secret on the way. Raindrops, smiles, and tears mingled on her brown face. She hoped her mother hadn’t yet got home and that the house was empty.
1. How did Nancy feel on her way to Miss O’ Shay’s office?| A．Confident. | B．Excited. | C．Uncertain. | D．Scared. |
| A．She was often punished by the principal. |
| B．She would never tell anyone her secret. |
| C．She was Miss Dietrich’ s best student. |
| D．She would try to hide feelings at home. |
| A．A New Star. | B．The Girl. |
| C．The News. | D．A Young Artist. |
6 . Many have had the same thought as Shannon St. Onge when looking at the approach of snow on a weather forecast—that they have time to finish their jobs. As the director of finance at the First Nations University of Canada, she had to drive 25 kilometers from her home to the city of Regina to attend an important meeting.
As she was leaving, the winter snow began to fall. Taking a dirt road for better traction (牵引) on her tires, she quickly became lost, with no ability to see the edge of the road from a rolled-down window. After a while she stopped and called 911.
“The operator took my information and told me to wait out the storm as my tank was full and I was warm. I waited almost 14 hours and nobody has called me yet to check in,” she wrote in a Face-book post.
“Would the gas tank last until morning? What if I was hit by another vehicle? What if I didn’t make it home at all?” St. Onge wondered.
Determined to ensure the safest end, she went out in the storm and discovered her location on a road sign, and then found a neighborhood Facebook group for the area she was passing through—warning others of her plight through a Google Maps pin.
That was when 80-year-old Andre Bouvier Sr., a retired rescuer, got a call about St. Onge’s situation. He went out to find her, on foot, since he couldn’t manage to start his tractor.
On the way he found three other stranded (被困) vehicles. He walked the quarter mile there and back, and led the helpless cars one by one to his home. Bouvier let the survivors sleep at his house, where they ate and laughed, and departed the next morning after he had cleaned the driveway.
1. Why did St. Onge take a dirt road?| A．She was familiar with it. | B．She could refuel on the road. |
| C．She took the dirt road to save time. | D．She thought dirt road could increase traction. |
| A．Wrong turn. | B．Poor sense of direction. |
| C．Difficult situation. | D．Bad weather. |
| A．Patient and gifted. | B．Brave and selfless. |
| C．Proud and determined. | D．Adventurous and ambitious. |
7 . Jeff was diagnosed in 2010 with multiple myeloma (多发性骨髓瘤). It is a disease that is usually noticed when grandpa falls and breaks his hip. The average patient is in his early 70s. But Jeff was only 50 when diagnosed.
“I wondered why me, as a young guy?” Jeff says. But his relative youth and good health has put him in a position to fight the disease in his way.
In January Jeff and his wife Ramona will join a team climbing to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness and funds for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. It’s an adventure he’s dreamed about since the 4th grade.
Jeff will be one of four in the group who are myeloma patients not willing to be threatened by cancer. He and Ramona have raised nearly $18,000 toward their combined goal of $20,000.
Still, he’s confident that his earlier marathon training has prepared him to climb the highest free-standing mountain in the world. “I just have to deal with it and understand my limitations.” he says.
What Jeff sees is a clear future. “Having cancer narrows the focus about what we want to do and who we want to do it with.” he says. He and Ramona now ask themselves, “How do we go out and live the most fulfilling lives? Who are the most important people in our lives? What brings us joy?”
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is their next adventure, but Jeff knows it won’t be just a personal accomplishment. “I do these things for all the people who can’t.” he says.
Jeff is certain that his passion for hiking and adventure will take him to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and that his story will inspire those with multiple myeloma to keep sight of who they are beyond their diagnosis.
“It’s obvious to me,” he says, “that this is part of my fate.”
1. What’s the main purpose for Jeff and his wife to climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro?
| A．To get enough physical training to be stronger. |
| B．To show love for climbing high mountains. |
| C．To express determination to overcome the disease. |
| D．To raise awareness and money for the organization. |
| A．Worried | B．Optimistic | C．Favorable | D．Indifferent |
| A．Part of fate. | B．Power of willingness. |
| C．Love for adventure. | D．An unusual disease. |
8 . One night, as I was driving down the road, I found something was sitting in the middle of the road. A few seconds later, I realized I was looking at a large turtle (海龟). Afraid of it being crashed by cars, so I pulled over, ran across the road and dragged the turtle to safety. But I’d made one big mistake.
I had heard that the best way to pick up a turtle without hurting it was picking it by the tail in order not to get bitten. So I’d made that big mistake. While the turtle turned out OK generally, I was determined to figure out how to move a turtle properly. I needed to find someone who dealt with turtles. I found the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre. I talked to Dr. Sue, its Executive and Medical Director.
Dr. Sue told me that the organization dealt with a number of aspects of turtle conservation, including rescue, settlement, birth programs, research, and education. Sue explained that southern Ontario is home to a vast majority of turtles in Canada, but is also one of the vastest road networks of the country.
“Ninety percent of injured turtles brought in are caused by cars. These turtles spend a lot of time on land. And they do travel many kilometers on land for a variety of reasons, to find a nesting spot, or to hang out for the summer or winter. Turtles know where they want to go. So, just keep them going in the direction they want to go and you may have saved a turtle’s life,” Dr. Sue said.
Once an injured turtle arrives at the center, there are medical facilities (设备) ready to go, including an X-ray machine. That’s when the team gets to work with healing injuries, and help their patient.
1. Why did the author stop the car?| A．To help the turtle. | B．To see the thing clearly. |
| C．To prevent a car accident. | D．To find something good. |
| A．It got hurt by people before. | B．It was injured a little bit. |
| C．It was run over by a car. | D．It lost its direction. |
| A．Leaving the turtles alone. |
| B．Making Ontario home to turtles. |
| C．Changing the road conditions. |
| D．Helping turtles find nesting spots. |
| A．The director. | B．The driver. |
| C．The author. | D．The turtle. |
9 . An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow (乌鸦) perched on the tree near their window. The father asked his son, “What is this?” The son replied, “It is a crow.” After a few minutes, the father asked his son the second time, “What is this?” The son said, “Father, I have just now told you ‘It’s a crow’.” After a little while, the old father again asked his son the third time, “What is this?” “It’s a crow, a crow, a crow.” said the son loudly. A little after, the father again asked his son the fourth time, “What is this?” This time the son shouted at his father, “Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? ‘IT IS A CROW’. Are you not able to understand this? ”
A little later the father went to his room and came back with an old diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:
“Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was there on the window. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel annoyed; I rather felt affection for my innocent child.”
1. What does the underlined word “perched” mean in the passage?| A．Struck. | B．Rested. | C．Dropped. | D．Knocked. |
| A．Because he wanted to make his son angry. |
| B．Because he was too old to remember anything. |
| C．Because he wanted to see the reaction of his son. |
| D．Because he couldn’t understand what his son said. |
| A．38 years old. | B．42 years old. | C．45 years old. | D．80 years old. |
10 . Two weeks ago, a 5-year-old girl named Sunshine Oelfke emptied out her piggy bank (存钱罐) onto the living room floor and immediately started counting. Her grandmother, Jackie Oelfke, thought she was playing as she carefully lined up the coins, but then she saw the girl put the coins into a plastic bag and place it in her backpack.
“What are you doing with that money?” Jackie asked her granddaughter.
“I’m taking it to school,” Sunshine replied. “I’m going to take it for milk money. My friend Layla doesn’t get milk— her mom doesn’t have milk money and I do.”
Jackie’s heart melted at Sunshine’s words. Choked with strong feelings, Jackie held her sweet granddaughter tightly in her arms.
Last week, Jackie and Sunshine met with her teacher, Rita Hausher, and handed her the $30 the kindergartner had saved. There are 20 kids in Sunshine’s class and about half don’t get milk. It costs $ 0.45 a carton (纸盒). The total adds up to about $180 a month for every child in the class to have milk every day.
After dropping Sunshine off at school, Jackie posted a tearful video on Facebook to explain her granddaughter’s plan. To her surprise, many people offered to donate toward the cause. Within a week, Jackie raised more than $1,000. Now every student in Sunshine’s class can get free milk for the rest of the year.
Jackie said Sunshine doesn’t see her kind act as a big deal. She was just trying to look out for her friends. “She doesn’t understand the effect she’s brought about,” Jackie said. “But now she knows she can do whatever she puts her mind to.”
1. Why did Sunshine empty her piggy bank?| A．She hoped to show off her savings in class. | B．She needed to train her counting skills. |
| C．She wanted to play with the coins. | D．She intended to pay for her friend’s milk. |
| A．Relieved. | B．Touched. | C．Curious. | D．Proud. |
| A．Two heads are better than one. | B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. | D．There’s no such thing as a free lunch. |
| A．Small Coins, Big Changes. | B．Jackie’s Piggy Bank. |
| C．Piggy Bank and Carton Milk. | D．A Moved Grandmother. |
