1 . It’s that time of the year—graduation. The end of school year is nearly in sight, and it’s an especially big deal if you’re finishing high school or college.
One amazing(令人惊叹的) 16-year-old Florida girl, Grace Bush, graduated from both high school and college this week! She actually got her college diploma(毕业证书) before her high school diploma. How’d she do that?
“Hard work and dedication(专心致志),” she told a local TV news station, “have made me succeed in doing high school and college at the same time.” She started taking college courses when she was just 13. She would often get up at 5:30 a.m. and not finish until after 11 p.m.
Doing both at once is a huge achievement, but it has also helped her family save money. She’s one of the 9 children, all home-schooled until the age of 13. Her father is a math professor while her mother is a part-time history teacher in a high school. Grace Bush has earned her college degree in law, with a near perfect GPA of 3.8 and she hopes to become a lawyer one day, although her parents expect her to teach at university. By the way, she also plays basketball in her college team in her spare time.
1. Why does the author say that Grace is amazing?| A．She finished high school earlier than others. |
| B．She never went to bed before 11 p. m. |
| C．She graduated from both high school and college at 16. |
| D．She got two diplomas from the same school. |
| A．Taking college courses at 13. |
| B．Doing high school and college at the same time. |
| C．Being born in a professor’s family. |
| D．Being devoted to her studies. |
| A．They shared with her college history lessons. |
| B．They taught her until she was 13. |
| C．They made her interested in math. |
| D．They hired a part-time teacher. |
| A．A news reporter. | B．A basketball player. |
| C．A university teacher. | D．A lawyer. |
2 . 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. |
3 . “Leave him alone!” I yelled as I walked out of the orphanage (孤儿院) gate and saw several bullies pushing the deaf kid around. I knew he lived in the old white house across the street from the orphanage where I lived.
“You are a stupid idiot,” said the bigger of the two bullies as he pushed the boy down on the ground. The deaf boy’s body started shaking all over and he curled up in a ball trying to shield and hide his face. He looked like he was trying to cry, or something but he just couldn’t make any sounds.
I ran as fast as I could back through the orphanage gate. I uncovered my home — made bow which I had constructed out of bamboo and string. I grabbed four arrows and then ran back out the gate with an arrow cocked in the bow. I stood there quiet, like, breathing really hard, just daring either one of them to kick or touch the boy again.
“You’re a dumb freak just like him,” said one of the boys as he grabbed his friend and back off far enough so that the arrow would not hit them. “If you’re so brave, kick him again now,” I said shaking like a leaf. The bigger of the two bullies ran up and kicked the deaf boy in the middle of his back as hard as he could and then he ran out of arrow range again.
The boy was trembling with fear and then made a sound that I would never forget for as long as I live. It was the sound like a whale makes when it has been harpooned (用鱼叉叉) and knows that it is about to die. I fired all four of my arrows at the two bullies as they ran away laughing about what they had done.
I pulled the boy up off the ground and helped him back to his house. When we reached his home, his sister told me that her brother could not say or hear anything. I told her that he did make a sound when the bully kicked him in the back. She told me that I must be mistaken because all her brother’s vocal cords (声带) had been removed during experimental surgery.
The boy made one of those hand signs at me as I was about to leave. His sister told me that he was saying that he loved me with his hands. I didn’t say anything back to her at all because, I think, people can’t talk with their hands and everybody knows people can only talk with their mouth.
On my very last day in the orphanage I was being chased by the police. They told me that I was being sent off to the Florida School for Boys, a reform school at Marianna, so I ran to get away from them. They chased me around the dining room building several times and finally I rushed for a fence and tried to climb over it to escape. I saw the deaf boy sitting there on his porch just looking at me as they pulled me down from the knee and handcuffed (用手铐铐住) me. The boy placed his fingers through the fence and just stood there looking at us. All I could hear the entire time was the high pitched sound of that whale being harpooned again. As I was pulled away into the police car I saw the deaf boy loosen his firm hold of the fence and slide very slowly to the ground. That was when I realized he probably really did love me and that he wanted to save me because he thought that I too was making the whale sound.
1. Why did the author shake like a leaf?| A．He got angry over others’ bullying behavior. |
| B．He got upset for being called an idiot. |
| C．He got disappointed by the deaf boy’s reaction. |
| D．He got scared of being kicked by the bullies again. |
| A．To prove the author’s innocence. |
| B．To save the author out of trouble. |
| C．To signal the author to trust the police. |
| D．To remind the author to run to the fence. |
| A．Just and courageous. | B．Helpful and sensitive. |
| C．Sympathetic and modest. | D．Considerate and aggressive. |
| A．A boy without vocal cords. | B．The pure friendship. |
| C．A fight with two bullies. | D．The whale sound. |
4 . A few years ago, my husband Matt offered to get me a digital piano for my 41st birthday. Matt knew that I had taken piano lessons as a kid, but stopped doing so in the seventh grade. I was at the age when I would rather go to the mall with friends than play the piano on the weekends.
I was game for a digital piano, but skeptical — I wasn’t sure I was going to play it that often. However, Matt was persistent. He reminded me that I’d mentioned wanting to play the piano again, so he bought me one and set it up in my office.
To be honest, I had only made half-hearted attempts over the years to take up various hobbies, mostly craft-related ones like knitting (编织) and cross-stitch (十字绣), to relax. But nothing really stuck.
Then, two years ago, I had a baby. The piano became even more of an afterthought as I became consumed by the challenges of parenting. I had enough on my plate, I told myself. There was no point in adding another thing that was probably just going to stress me out.
But recently, my 2-year-old son had figured out how to turn on the digital piano and loved to bang on the keys. Seeing him play so joyfully, I thought maybe I could take piano lessons and help him to prepare for the music world.
I started lessons a couple of weeks later, and it turned out that I could handle 15 minutes a day.
Sometimes, I could handle 40 minutes. I found myself completely immersed in playing the piano. The repetition calmed me. Going over difficult parts in each piece I was learning was incredibly satisfying. To my great surprise, at age 44, I have an actual hobby now, and I really look forward to performing together with my son one day.
1. How did the author feel when her husband offered to buy her a digital piano?| A．She was excited. | B．She was thankful. |
| C．She doubted herself. | D．She considered it a joke. |
| A．She devoted herself entirely to bringing up her baby. |
| B．She dropped out of school in the seven grade. |
| C．She gave up playing the piano again at her forties. |
| D．She ate a lot for parenting. |
| A．She loved knitting and cross-stitch the most. |
| B．She gave them up eventually. |
| C．They made her more patient. |
| D．They gave her too much pressure. |
| A．Her husband’s encouragement. |
| B．Her son’s interest in the piano. |
| C．Her hope to make her son happy. |
| D．Her desire to reduce the stress of parenting. |
| A．She taught her son to play the piano. |
| B．She determined to become a pianist. |
| C．She practiced harder for competition. |
| D．She felt peaceful and content while playing. |
5 . I stole your dog today. No, I didn’t set foot in your house, but from the condition of your dog, I can imagine what it looks like... the word “rubbish” comes to mind.
I found her along a road, with a heavy chain wrapped around her neck, still attached to rotten boards from her doghouse. Not only did I know that most of the town people had already ignored her, judging by where I found her, but I knew that if she had gotten into the Woods, the “cross” that she dragged behind her would have wrapped around a tree until starvation or thirst killed her. She has a beautiful name now. Already in the first week she has come to look more like she should. Her eyes sparkle and she has learned to wag her tail in greeting. She has stopped flinching (畏缩) when I make a sudden movement, because she knows now that I won’t beat her. In fact, she rarely leaves my side. She’s even become brave enough to bark at a cat and today I watched from the window as she attempted to play with the other dogs. No, it’s clear she does not miss you or her former life on a chain.
It’s not clear yet whether shell remain here or whether I’ll find her a loving home where she can count on more individual attention than I can give her, but one thing is certain. This is one bit of stolen “property” who is never returning to you. So charge me, accuse me, plead (乞求) with the courts that she is rightfully yours... I’m convinced this is the best “crime” I’ve ever committed. Hardly anything has pleased me more than the day I stole your dog. I need only look into her beautiful brown eyes to know that shed defend my decision with her life. If we have one prayer, it is that you will not replace her, and if we have one special day to celebrate together, it is the day I stole your dog and the day she stole my heart.
1. Where did the author find the dog?| A．In her doghouse. | B．Along a road. | C．In the Woods. | D．In her owner’s house. |
| A．the dog is not lovely |
| B．the dog tried to find a kind master |
| C．the dog was treated badly by her former master |
| D．the author will be charged with stealing a dog |
| A．playing with other dogs | B．barking at a cat |
| C．not missing her former master | D．waving her tail to make greetings |
| A．He was afraid of being punished. |
| B．He thought he had to do it. |
| C．He believed that the law would allow him to do so. |
| D．He did it with pride. |
| A．To warn the people in the town not to keep dogs. |
| B．To express his love for the dog and his anger towards her former owner. |
| C．To explain to the police why the dog was in the Woods. |
| D．To ask people to find the dog a loving home and an owner who loves dogs. |
6 . A few months ago someone gifted us a robot cleaner. We already had a regular cleaner and I didn’t really see the need to use this new one, so it just satin its box.
One of our neighbors is moving away to a new house next week and I thought of asking her whether this might be something she could use. It turned out that she replied yes! Her new place had hardwood floors and her daughter was asking if they could get a robot cleaner but she said they would have to wait and see....and now she didn’t have to buy one!
I couldn’t tell you how overjoyed I was to see her daughter’s response when she came over. She was also as excited about the flower seeds I gave her from our backyard to plant in their new home.
The nice thing was that the daughter would still be working in our town, and I told her that if she ever needed to stay over instead of driving 45 minutes to the new house, our home was always here for her.
She also told me that she was so touched that I drew a big pink heart on the front of our house for their going-away party. I told her maybe after they moved I would clean it up. Or maybe not—I like being reminded of how our hearts are connected to everyone.
1. Why did the author give away the robot cleaner?| A．She liked to giveaway gifts. |
| B．She already had one at home. |
| C．She showed off before her neighbor. |
| D．She met the need of her neighbor’s daughter. |
| A．It is surrounded by some flowers. |
| B．It has a door with a “heart” on it. |
| C．It saw a goodbye party for the author. |
| D．It is far from her daughter’s workplace. |
| A．Love never fails | B．Hearts connect us |
| C．Little acts add up | D．Family warms hearts |
7 . I was 13 or 14. It was summer. We lived in an old house with no screens on the window in the attic (阁楼), where my sister and I slept in the same bed. While thinking about how I might escape, I leaned sideways, and my hand landed on a floorboard that popped up (突然爆开) and almost hit me in the head. When I looked inside the open space, I could not believe my eyes: There was gold in there! I picked up a handful of gold cubes (方块) and ran to the bottom stair and yelled, “Mama — I found gold up here under the floor!” Mama simply said, “Chile, that’s insulation. Now put it all back.”
When I reached inside, my hand touched what felt like a book. I pulled it out. It was Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations. And since I was bored, I decided to see what was inside this book.
On the top left- and right-hand corners of each page was a word or phrase. I opened it to “comfort” and then “comfort and despair”, and then farther down was “comfortable”. I remembered “Doubt” “Peace” “Hope and Hopeful”. I had discovered that I was not alone in some of the things I felt and thought: What does grief feel like? What is the value and power of dreams?
In ninth grade, I got my first job, as a page at our local library. I often hid in the ladies’ room, where no one would see me, and I would read. It was at this library that I realized how some of those emotions I’d felt while reading Bartlett’s came to life in the characters I had started discovering in novels.
When I went to college, Bartlett’s came with me. Over the years, I’ve kept my original copy, and to this day I often refer to it. I have bought a few of the newer editions, but the first one is the one that helped me see more than what my young mind was able to understand.
1. Why did the author shout?| A．She hurt herself in the head. | B．She had a quarrel with her sister. |
| C．She found something under a floorboard. | D．She failed to get the gold out of the attic. |
| A．What the value of dreams is. | B．How different words relate to each other. |
| C．How the author’s life was in her childhood. | D．What the author learned from the book she found. |
| A．She met Bartlett in real life. |
| B．She got her first job at the local library. |
| C．She seldom referred to the books she read before. |
| D．She kept Bartlett’s as one of her greatest treasures. |
| A．To introduce a famous book. | B．To show the importance of libraries. |
| C．To tell readers how a book changed her life. | D．To explain how she became a best-selling writer. |
8 . Now he is 22 years old and has become an example of young people because of his story of success.
Michael was born in a very poor family. His parents worked in Vietnam before they moved to Britain in 1980. They couldn’t find jobs in Britain because they spoke little English. The whole family had to live on benefits and they lived in a small house in Hackney, a poor area in East London. Growing up is not easy for Michael, but he never gave up.
At the age of ten, he made up his mind to go to Cambridge University. It was not easy, either. Michael studied at a school, which used to be called “the worst school in Britain”. However, young Michael made up his mind to try his best, no matter what kind of school he was studying at. The smart boy studied very hard and did well in every subject at school. Once he made a bet with his friend to learn further maths. As a result, after just spending four months teaching himself from a textbook, he got an A in AS-level further maths.
Now Michael is the star medical student in St John’s College, Cambridge and has just won an award for his excellent grades. He hopes he will be an example for other young people from poor families.
1. According to the passage, Michael’s family moved to Britain .| A．in 1994 | B．in 1900 | C．in 1980 | D．in 1984 |
| A．His family was very poor and lived on benefits. |
| B．They made a living with the help of the government in Vietnam. |
| C．Michael's parents had no jobs because of their little experience. |
| D．They lived in a poor area without any help. |
| A．He won an award in his middle school because of hard work. |
| B．He was good at making bets with other students. |
| C．Though very young, he decided to go to Cambridge University. |
| D．His best subjects in school were maths and history. |
| A．English. | B．Medicine. | C．Geography. | D．History. |
| A．How to deal with the difficulties. | B．How to become a good student. |
| C．From a poor area to Britain. | D．From “the worst school” to Cambridge University. |
9 . Five people were waiting for an interview in a room of a company(公司). Inside the room, they could do whatever they liked, except using the phone or the Internet.
On the first day, all of the five people were excited. They were imagining their bright future, but there was no interview.
On the second day, they came again for the interview. But to their surprise, there was no news about the interview. Two of them got upset.
On the third morning, they arrived earlier. Still no news came. By mid-day, most of them were irritated. Some thought the company did not care for them. Some regretted coming here. Only one man was different. He was happy all those days. He kept smiling while the others complained(抱怨).
At the end of that day, the boss appeared. To their disappointment, the boss said that their interview had ended and only one of them was chosen. It was the man who kept happy. Then the boss added, “We want someone who can keep happy in whatever situations. Keeping happy is an ability.”
1. The five people were waiting for________.| A．an interview | B．a meeting | C．a phone call | D．a meal |
| A．快活的 | B．愤怒的 | C．放松的 | D．胆怯的 |
| A．he listened to the others | B．he kept happy |
| C．his answers were better | D．he cared for others |
| A．a dictionary | B．a poster | C．a magazine | D．a notice |
10 . It was about seven years ago. I just picked up my three-year-old daughter from the nursery. I was weighed down with shopping bags,and with my daughter’s things. We arrived at a pedestrian crossing and she pressed the button. In the distance, I heard alarms, told my daughter to wait and watched a police car approaching.
Little did I know,as the green man flashed, that my daughter had begun to run into the road. I watched the police car speed toward us — that was when you sounded your horn and waved wildly to me. My daughter was about a meter from the path of the police car, hidden from their view by your car.
I screamed her name and ran toward her. She stopped and was shocked by the rush of the police car as it sped past. She wondered why you had blown your horn, asking, “Mom, why was that woman so rude?” not realizing you had saved her life.
She wondered why I picked her up and burst into tears. My legs gave way as I reached the other side of the road. I should have followed my “wait” with a hand on her shoulder, or an explanation of why we were ignoring the green man this time, especially as I had in effect taught her to cross the road at the sight of the green flash.
I beat myself up for months, and still do, with flashbacks and horrible assumptions about what might have been. But for your sounding your horn, seeing what I hadn’t seen, I would have been left a mother on the other side of the road, totally broken. I apologize for putting you in that position — I can imagine that it upset you, too. You saved her life and I am so grateful.
1. What can we infer from the incident?| A．The mother didn’t regret what had happened. |
| B．The daughter didn’t follow the traffic rules. |
| C．The woman responded quickly and properly. |
| D．The police drove beyond the speed limit. |
| A．To stop the police car. |
| B．To show her impatience. |
| C．To greet passing pedestrians. |
| D．To draw the mother’s attention. |
| A．A pedestrian. | B．A policeman. |
| C．A traffic sign. | D．A button. |
| A．Angry and shocked. |
| B．Scared but relieved. |
| C．Guilty and confused. |
| D．Grateful but sad. |
