1 . In the second year of my high school, I went abroad to continue my education. Shortly after I moved in with my host family, an Italian girl moved in too. Since the house had limited space，we roomed together. My negative outlook on roommates started from that moment. My roommate liked to invite friends over and hold parties, but I preferred staying in my room and enjoying myself. Then conflicts (矛盾) started to appear.
After that experience, I told myself that I never wanted a roommate again. Unfortunately, life quickly challenged me when I went to college. It required all first-year students to live on campus, which meant I had to live with someone I didn’t know. From that point on, I began worrying.
I met my future roommate Yizhou for the very first time on August 23. When I talked to her, I tried my best to smile and nod in order to hide my nervousness. We attended the same class and afterward she invited me to have lunch. I completely freaked out. I told myself that I should step out of my comfort zone and try to talk to my new roommate, even though I could clearly hear my heart beating through my chest. I considered it for a long time, and finally, I accepted her invitation.
After we lived together for a few weeks. I got to know Yizhou already owned a small business selling clothes, while I kept struggling to set goals. One night, she asked me what I wanted to do for my career. I looked into her eyes for a long time, and then said, “I don’t know.” “Don’t worry! We will work together and I’ll help you find what you are passionate (热情的) about,” she said in a gentle voice. Under her influence, I found my interests and knew what I wanted to be after graduation. And because of her, I felt having a roommate could be so amazing.
1. Why did the author feel bad while living with her host family?| A．She hardly made new friends. |
| B．She disliked sharing a room with another person. |
| C．She was annoyed by her roommate’s lifestyle. |
| D．She had trouble communicating with foreigners. |
| A．Dealing with cultural differences. |
| B．Sharing a room with a stranger. |
| C．Making plans for her future career. |
| D．Communicating with her new classmates. |
| A．Felt excited. | B．Felt confused. |
| C．Became interested. | D．Got frightened. |
| A．Inspiring and helpful. | B．Brave and selfless. |
| C．Creative and outgoing. | D．Serious and honest. |
2 . Camden was four years old. Just like what you can expect with a kid at his age, he’ s quite curious and cheerful. However, things started to change one day. He was no longer playing with the other kids in the kindergarten, keeping to himself in the corner. It is unusual for a child to switch personalities in just a matter of days. His teacher decided to get to the bottom of this.
After taking him away from the classroom, the small child admitted having some problems at home. Nancy felt that she needed to contact his father to address her worries. After a phone conversation, Nancy got informed of what she wanted to know. Darreld, Camden’s father, was seriously unwell because his kidneys were becoming weaker by the day and barely operating at 20%, about which his small son, Camden, became concerned.
A youngster cannot live happy without their parent. Nancy had promised her pupil to do everything she could to make things better for them, and she meant it. Nancy was determined to solve the problem once and for all.
Nancy received confirmation that she was a perfect candidate when she received the results of her hospital tests. Darreld’ s relatives and friends had previously been tested to check whether they were a match. Unfortunately, none of them were. Darreld was beginning to lose hope until Nancy made her offer.
To ease Nancy’s loved ones’ worries, the greatest surgeons in Iowa did the kidney removal, because they knew she would be experiencing a risky treatment that only the best in the field could manage. The operation succeeded! Both he and Nancy were expected to recover completely.
Camden was maybe the most affected by his father’ s plight, but now that Darreld is well again, as a result, the small kid has changed back to be happy and active. Camden promises to be Nancy’ s best pupil ever.
1. Why did Camden draw his teacher’ s attention?| A．Because he was badly ill. |
| B．Because he happened to be the teacher’ s neighbor. |
| C．Because he showed no interest in her class. |
| D．Because he suddenly changed too much in character. |
| A．His father’ s bad health condition. |
| B．His poor presentation in class. |
| C．That his classmates kept a distance from him. |
| D．That his father’s farm failed to grow crops. |
| A．His families refused to help him. |
| B．There was little chance to find a matched organ. |
| C．He was unable to support a large family. |
| D．Camden didn’t live up to his expectation. |
| A．Stress. | B．Operation. | C．Trouble. | D．Situation. |
3 . Harvey Sutton spent nearly seven months hiking with his parents, walking the thousands of kilometers that make up the complete Appalachian Trail. Harvey, or “little man”, was just 4 years old when he started, and celebrated his 5th birthday on the trail.
The Appalachian Trail, which many people call simply the “AT”, is a 3,530-kilometer hiking trail that runs through the forests of the Appalachian Mountains and passes through 14 states in all. Hiking the Appalachian Tran is tough, and only one out of every four hikers completes all the sections of the trail. The people who hike it must carry everything they need with them, including tents, sleeping bags and other supplies, along with food and water.
Harvey’s parents, Josh and Cassie Sutton, have been hiking with Harvey since he was two years old. They made reasonable arrangements, and especially prepared him for hiking the AT by starting out with lots of shorter walks and hikes. It took Harvey and his family 209 days to complete the entire AT. Every day the family would wake up around 5:30 in the morning. They would have breakfast and pack up their tents and sleeping bags before setting off through the woods. In general, the family hiked about 16 kilometers a day before stopping to set up camp again.
During his days on the AT, Harvey liked to use his imagination. This helped him walk more quickly and have fun while he hiked. He played games with his mom and dad and other hikers, Kart Sakas hiked with the Suttons through seven states. Mr. Sakas said Harvey didn’t seem to get tired. When other hikers were worn out at the end of the day, Harvey was still eager for a game.
Completing the AT taught Harvey and his parents how to work as a team and how to take on challenges together. Harvey has now turned 5 and has started kindergarten. But at some point in the future, he says, “I want to hike the AT again!”
1. What can we learn about hiking on the AT?| A．It takes every hiker 7 months to finish it. | B．Hikers like to celebrate their birthdays on it. |
| C．Only a quarter of hikers finish the whole trail. | D．Hikers spend lots of money hiking on it. |
| A．Using their imagination. | B．Being full of energy. |
| C．Managing time well. | D．Having good preparation. |
| A．Energetic and team-spirited. | B．Imaginative and funny. |
| C．Naughty and tough. | D．Considerate and brave. |
| A．The AT—A Challenging Trail | B．Why Do People Like Hiking? |
| C．Hiking—Suttons’ Hobby | D．The Little Man’s 209 Hiking Days |
4 . Growing up on a farm in northeastern Brazil, I was the first and only person in my family to graduate from high school and pursue higher education. My parents worked on a small farm inherited (继承) from my grandparents. I helped out when I was not in school.
My parents always had a close relationship with nature, so they knew the exact time of year to plant or pick certain fruits. I learned from my parents about the large bees that frequented one of our fruit crops — mangangava, we called them. This was the main reason I became interested in biology.
In college, as a black student, from a rural community, I did not see myself in my professors, most of whom were white and spoke with a different accent. Even if I studied for several hours per day, I fell behind peers who came from private schools. The feeling of not belonging circled in my head. I sometimes thought about giving up.
But one day, when I was asked to give a presentation about bees, I didn’t mention their familiar name; instead I used formal terms when describing their adaptations for pollinating (授粉). I was afraid of being judged for expressing my personal knowledge in a science class. But one of the instructors pressed me to tell the class whether I’d seen the bees myself and what I called them and said tapping into my personal experiences would help me grasp the scientific concepts. No other professors had shown that kind of sensitivity. The instructor made it clear that he valued what I’d learned from my family and from my personal experiences on the farm and that I didn’t need to hide who I truly am.
I’m now a master’s student in education, working on a project that explores the connection between science and traditional knowledge. I don’t think I’d be here today if I hadn’t crossed paths with that instructor. We need more educators and scientists like him, who serves as a role model and knows that the best way to allow students to be themselves.
1. What does “them” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．The fruits. | B．My parents. |
| C．The large bees. | D．The fruit crops. |
| A．He was not attached to his professors. | B．He had difficulty fitting in. |
| C．He was always looked down upon. | D．He was busy studying everyday. |
| A．To express his personal knowledge. | B．To avoid being criticized by others. |
| C．To grasp the scientific concepts. | D．To show who he truly is. |
| A．Indifferent and selfish. | B．Knowledgeable and ambitious. |
| C．Courageous and generous. | D．Professional and kind. |
5 . Liu Tzu-wei, a young man from China’s Taiwan, works in his milk tea shop in Wuhan, realizing his entrepreneurial (创业的) dream there.
Liu Tzu-wei, 29, who majored in business administration, tried being an online shopping agent while studying in London. He started his business journey in Hangzhou in 2017, and opened his first milk tea shop in Wuhan.
He experienced some setbacks in his milk tea business due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he didn’t give up, and started making video diaries online to record his journey.
Liu currently has about 26,000 fans on Douyin, the Chinese version of the video-sharing app TikTok, and many have turned into customers. Liu was moved by the hospitality (好客) and frankness of the people in Wuhan, and said they are always helpful and supportive.
Officials from the local government of Wuhan, often visit him to promote the carrying out of preferential (优先的) policies. Liu opened his second branch at the end of last year. He plans to expand more when the opportunity arises. He said his decision to pursue his entrepreneurial dream in Wuhan was right.
Wuhan is a city with huge consumption potential, nice people and supportive government, so Liu would choose Wuhan again if he had to do it over.
1. Where did Liu Tzu-wei first launch his business?| A．In Wuhan | B．In Taiwan | C．In London | D．In Hangzhou |
| A．It’s unexpected. | B．It’s hopeful. | C．It’s challenging. | D．It’s regretful. |
| A．All the fans have turned into customers. |
| B．Liu’s business was an instant hit in Wuhan. |
| C．Liu worked as an e-shopping agent after graduation. |
| D．Liu’s business has received assistance from the government. |
| A．East or west, home is best. |
| B．Victory belongs to the most persevering. |
| C．Well begun is half done. |
| D．He that travels far knows much. |
6 . Fire Capt. Kevin Lloyd arrived at the scene of a car accident in West Point, Utah, north of Salt Lake City. A pregnant woman and her screaming 2-year-old daughter were trapped in the car.
While his partner, Allen Hadley, was tending to the driver, Lloyd couldn't get the frightened girl to calm down. He saw she was holding several bottles of nail polish(指甲油), and then he had a better idea. He asked her if she wanted to paint his nails. Soon she entirely lit up. At the same time, Hadley showed up to check on the scene.
Lloyd had calmed her down and was in the process of getting his fingers painted. Then Hadley just put his hand in there. The girl began to color his nails pink. By this time, she was not only calm, but she was also happy.
The girl's mother was not injured. She thanked them for helping her daughter feel better, and they all chuckled, looking at the firefighters' nails, and took some photos.
The firefighters brought the photos back to headquarters and showed them around. The department put them up on Facebook, and thousands of people responded, with many thanking the firefighters for going out of their way to calm down a frightened girl.
Fire Chief Mark Becraft said he had been surprised at all the attention. He said he was proud of his firefighters, and added that he had known members of the department who had done many things that weren't part of the job.
After the fact, Lloyd and Hadley had a small matter to tend to： the layers of polish on their nails. They bought a bottle of nail polish remover, and used almost all of it.
1. Why was the 2-year-old girl frightened?| A．Her mother was badly injured. | B．She was caught in an accident. |
| C．Her nails were hurt by the bottles. | D．She was afraid of seeing firefighters. |
| A．Sighed. | B．Shouted. | C．Laughed. | D．Hugged. |
| A．Caring. | B．Knowledgeable. | C．Humorous. | D．Courageous. |
| A．To ask us to learn to calm down in time of danger. |
| B．To speak highly of the warm-hearted firefighters. |
| C．To introduce the little girl who likes polishing nails. |
| D．To praise the two firefighters who learn to decorate nails. |
7 . Florence Nightingale was named after her birthplace, Florence, Italy. When she was almost a year old, she returned with her family to England.
Florence often helped her mother deliver(运送) food to the poor and sick.
But Florence was determined. She studied books on medicine. Later, she visited hospitals in France, Germany and Ireland and learned everything she could.
In 1854, Britain was at war with Russia. Florence went to the British hospital in Scutari (now Üsküdar in Istanbul) and she was shocked. The hospital left men lying on the floor, and rats were running everywhere.
The doctors wouldn’t listen to Florence because they didn’t like the idea of women in army hospitals—until one day 500 unexpected casualties(伤亡者) arrived.
When she returned home after the war, a fund had been set up in her honor. Many of the soldiers she had nursed had made contributions(捐款).Now she could set up the Nightingale Training School in London.
After years of hard work, Florence Nightingale saw cleaner and more cheerful hospitals.
| A．Nursing became an honored profession. |
| B．There was no running water and no heat. |
| C．She knew she had much to learn about nursing. |
| D．Florence saw the soldiers’ health had improved. |
| E．As she grew older, she decided to become a nurse. |
| F．They soon realized that Florence knew what she was doing. |
| G．Upon returning home, she was an expert on hospital management. |
8 . My First Marathon（马拉松）
A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P.E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later informed me that I was ＂not athletic＂.
The idea that I was ＂not athletic＂ stuck with me for years. When I started running in my 30s, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills!
The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces(鞋带) became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!
At mile 3, I passed a sign: ＂GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!＂
By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, I was starving!
As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m. or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签), I can now call myself a ＂marathon winner＂.
1. A month before the marathon, the author ____________.| A．was well trained | B．felt scared |
| C．made up his mind to run | D．lost hope |
| A．To acknowledge the support of his teacher. |
| B．To amuse the readers with a funny story. |
| C．To show he was not talented in sports. |
| D．To share a precious memory. |
| A．He made it. | B．He quit halfway. |
| C．He got the first prize. | D．He walked to the end. |
| A．A man owes his success to his family support. |
| B．A winner is one with a great effort of will. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. |
| D．One is never too old to learn. |
