1 . A five-year-old dog named Kelsey has been praised as a hero for helping to save the life of her owner who slipped in the snow and broke his neck.
The man, Bob, was alone when he left his farmhouse on New Year’s Eve to collect firewood.Expecting a journey of only several meters, Bob was wearing just long johns (衬裤), a shirt and slippers when he went outside, although the temperature was around －4℃.
After the accident, he was unable to move in the snow. Fortunately, Kelsey came to his assistance.
“I was shouting for help, but my nearest neighbor is about 400 meters away, and it was 10:30 p. m.,” Bob explained. “By the next morning, my voice was gone and I couldn’t yell for help, but Kelsey didn’t stop barking.”
Kelsey’s companion kept him warm by lying on top of him. She licked his face and hands to keep him awake. “Kelsey kept barking but never left my side,” Bob recalled. “I knew I couldn’t give up and that it was my choice to stay alive.”
Bob spent 20 hours in the freezing cold. When he finally lost consciousness, his dog kept barking. Finally, hearing the barking, Bob’s neighbor discovered him at 6:30 p. m. on New Year’s Day and called the emergency services at once. When Bob arrived in hospital, his body temperature was below 21℃. However, doctors were surprised to find that he didn’t have any frostbite (冻疮). They believed it was because of Kelsey’s determination to keep him warm. Dr. Chaim Colen, the doctor who treated Bob, said, “His dog really saved him.He was very fortunate.”
Bob said he was very grateful to both Dr. Colen and his Kelsey. “They saved my life. They are truly heroes!”
1. What happened to Bob on New Year’s Eve?| A．He left his dog alone in his farmhouse. |
| B．He was praised for saving a dog owner. |
| C．He broke his neck and couldn’t move. |
| D．He heard his neighbor’s shouting for help. |
| A．To keep warm. |
| B．To stay alive. |
| C．To keep Bob awake. |
| D．To seek help from others. |
| A．Helpful. | B．Fortunate. |
| C．Grateful. | D．Friendly. |
| A．A Neckbreaking Accident |
| B．The Magic Night |
| C．Warmth on a Winter’s Night |
| D．Determination to Keep Alive |
2 . Last night at work, a girl came in and sat at the bar. She asked for a cup of water and a menu and eventually ordered a bacon cheeseburger which costs roughly $12 at my restaurant.
After eating for a few minutes, she asked me for a napkin (餐巾) and a pen. I saw her writing on the napkin but didn’t think anything of it. When I turned around, she was gone. As I went to clear her plate, I noticed that she had left a $100 bill along with a note that read, “Today marks my 14th day of chemo (化疗) along with my 26th birthday. Life’s been good to me so far, and I think I will pass my luck on to someone else. Have a great night!”
I have never been so touched by a stranger in my entire life. About 3 months ago, my own mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, so this hit very close to home. Having just witnessed my mother completed her first 5-week cycle of chemo, I know the pain and exhaustion this young woman is feeling. On top of the chemo, she was selfless enough on her own birthday that she gave a stranger a gift.
This young woman has completely touched my soul and has affected my life in a way that I will never forget. I hope to see her again one day, so I can tell her how much her random act of kindness has touched me and finally changed my life.
Thank you for being such a beautiful person and I pray that you get well.
Thank you for making the world a better place.
1. The author might work as a ______.| A．singer | B．doctor | C．cook | D．waitress |
| A．By giving some economic support to someone in need. |
| B．By offering free chemo to someone else. |
| C．By buying a dinner for someone else. |
| D．By writing a letter full of kindness. |
| A．To make somebody go home. |
| B．To know somebody’s address. |
| C．To have a strong effect on somebody. |
| D．To send food to somebody’s home. |
| A．To thank her for the money she left. |
| B．To tell her what effect she has on the author. |
| C．To tell her she is very beautiful. |
| D．To wish her good luck in getting well. |
3 . Jean was a teacher who taught first grade. She drove an old Jetta with dull blue paint and worn seats. It wasn’t the speediest tool, but Jean was never late to work. In fact, each school day she was the first teacher to arrive and the last teacher to leave.
She took great care to plan instruction, create assessments, and decorate her classroom. Parents in the neighborhood would beat down the principal’s door to have their children arranged to her class. Jean could teach a mouse to read, and all her students passed into second grade with advanced vocabularies and language skills.
One August, two sisters in high school did not want to enter foster care. They contacted their first grade teacher, Jean. Jean lived in quite an ordinary home with her son. Yet, she took the sisters in.Packed with children, the little blue Jetta sputtered, but they had a good laugh.
One day, Jean spoke about her car, which she had driven for many years and had been old enough to retire. It was kind of dangerous for students to ride in such a car. She wanted a van. However, a new van was not within her ability. As a good friend, I listened to her concern. Then, an idea came to me. I wrote a letter to The Oprah Winfrey Show, sharing Jean’s story and her wish.
A month passed. Jean was invited to attend The Oprah W infrey Show.Oprah hugged Jean and told the details of Jean’s story. Oprah announced that Jean deserved a new van. Six hundred miles away, I watched the joy from the television. Jean’s big heart taught me many lessons that year. One of them is that the simplest acts can require a strong faith, with which nothing is impossible.
1. What can we know about Jean?| A．She was popular as a responsible and skilled teacher. |
| B．She was famous for being strict with students. |
| C．She got along well with many parents. |
| D．She led a very difficult early life. |
| A．the old blue car brought happiness to them |
| B．foster care led the two sisters to an unhappy life |
| C．the two sisters caused inconvenience to Jean’s life |
| D．Jean valued her students and her students trusted her |
| A．She hoped to get Jean a pay rise. | B．She expected to help Jean get a van. |
| C．She wanted to support more strangers. | D．She meant to make Jean a famous teacher. |
| A．One should stay positive in life. | B．It is never too old to learn. |
| C．A friend in need is a friend indeed. | D．A powerful belief can help people succeed easily. |
4 . At 5:30 p. m, 10th November, it was dark everywhere in New York, which is the biggest power failure in the history.
•Thousands of people got stuck in lifts. Martin Saltzman spent three hours between the 21st and 22nd floors of the Empire State Building. “There were twelve of us. But no one was panicked. We passed the time telling stories and playing word games. One man wanted to smoke but we didn’t let him. Firemen finally got us out.”
•“It was the best night we’ve ever had,” said Angola Carraro, who runs an Italian restaurant on 42nd street, “and the place was full all night, in fact.” She added “We had lots of candles on the tables and the waiters were carrying candles on their trays. After we had closed, we let the people stay on and spend the night here.”
•The zoos had their problems like everyone else. Keepers worked through the night. They used blankets to keep flying squirrels and small monkeys warm. While zoos had problems keeping warm, supermarkets had problems keeping cool. “All of our ice-cream and frozen foods melted,” said the manager of a store in downtown Manhattan. “They were worth $ 50,000.”
•The big electric clock in the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in downtown Manhattan started to tick again at 5:25 this morning. It was almost on time.
1. Throughout the period of darkness, Martin Saltzman and the eleven others were ________.| A．upset | B．anxious | C．frightened | D．calm |
| A．the frozen food in the supermarket melted |
| B．the business of the restaurant was no better than usual |
| C．nobody stayed the night in Angola Carraro’s restaurant |
| D．keepers in the zoos found it easy to keep animals warm |
| A．More than 12 hours. | B．Nearly 12 hours. | C．More than 24 hours. | D．Nearly 24 hours. |
5 . Every day when Glen Oliver orders his morning coffee at the drive-through window of a local cafe, he insists on paying for the order of the person behind him. He also asks the restaurant workers to tell the customer to have a great day, in case they’re not already having one.
Oliver has never made a big deal out of his own generous actions until a letter was published by a news website in November. He found out that he had not just bought someone his breakfast —he had saved a life.
According to the website, someone had written a letter stating that on July 18th, he was planning on committing suicide. The writer said that while he was at the drive-through window, he was planning on going home, writing a note and ending his life. When he went to pay for his coffee and muffin, however, the cashier told him that the man in the SUV in front of him had picked up the tab and told him to have a great day.
“I wondered why someone would buy coffee for a stranger for no reason,” said the writer. “Why me? Why today? If I were a religious man, I would take this as a sign. This random act of kindness was directed at me on this day for a purpose.”
When the writer arrived home, he couldn’t hold back his tears and started to think about the simple good deed that had affected him so deeply. “I decided at that moment to change my plans for the day and do something nice for someone. I ended up helping a neighbor take groceries out of her car and into the house.”
The writer says that in the months following that fateful event, he does at least one kind thing for others every day. “To the nice man in the SUV, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please know your kind gesture has truly saved a life,” he said. “On July 18, 2017, I had the greatest day.”
1. What is Oliver’s act of kindness every day?| A．Publishing positive news. | B．Greeting restaurant workers. |
| C．Buying others breakfast. | D．Taking groceries for neighbors. |
| A．It brought him thank-you letters. |
| B．It was reported on a news website. |
| C．It was the first time he’d paid for others. |
| D．It prevented someone from killing himself. |
| A．Paid the bill. | B．Parked the car. |
| C．Left a message. | D．Ordered a drink. |
| A．He felt guilty. | B．He felt grateful. |
| C．He felt confused. | D．He felt saddened. |
6 . Students on the prize-winning Rogue Robotics team at Farmington High School built a special wheelchair for one very special 2-year-old boy named Cillian Jackson. He was born with a genetic (基因的) condition that makes movement difficult. Thanks to these kind students, Cillian now has his own wheels to travel around on.
Cillian’s genetic condition delays (延迟) his physical and mental development, which makes him unable to move. His parents knew a power wheelchair would help him move. However, they could not afford the wheelchair’s cost of more than $ 20,000. That was when Cillian’s father got creative. He reached out to a robot team at his old high school, seeking their help to create a similar type of vehicle for his son.
The team agreed without hesitation. They began building the vehicle by modifying (改造) a power wheel’s toy, then adding a seat and other necessary equipment using a 3D printer. Knowing exactly how the vehicle would be used inspired the team and gave them a new sense of purpose. To their surprise, it was built in less than a month. Cillian is now a little boy joyfully on the move. The child is now able to do things he was not able to do.
“It has been really cool doing such an amazing project,” said one team member White. “I think we won more than we do at our competition,” added he.
The Jackson family returned to the school to visit the team that made their son’s movement possible. The students smiled as they watched quietly the boy show his driving skills for them. Team members hugged each other to see how their hard work led to such a positive effect on Cillian’s life.
1. What made Cillian’s father turn to a robot team?| A．Helping him improve his creativity. |
| B．Repairing a wheelchair to help Cillian move. |
| C．Having no money to buy a power wheelchair. |
| D．Making a special robot to treat Cillian’s genetic illness. |
| A．The power of 3D technology. | B．Cillian’s parents’ efforts. |
| C．The vehicle’s great function. | D．The speed of building the vehicle. |
| A．Winning each competition was enjoyable. |
| B．Helping others brought more joy than winning. |
| C．Giving was more valuable than taking for a man. |
| D．Creating a vehicle similar to a wheelchair was hard. |
| A．Наppy. | B．Confident. | C．Confused. | D．Shocked. |
7 . The dog Pooch Chi Chi managed to open the door and let a fire crew in after his owner collapsed on the kitchen floor.
Responders were searching for another entrance when they heard a “click” as the dog managed to unlock the door to let them in, They found the man, named only as Mr Green, collapsed on the floor in the kitchen as the fire took hold on the hob. Firefighters then swiftly put out the fire and carried out first aid until paramedics(急救医士)arrived.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said “a potential disaster” was averted with help from the dog. They said they were called to the scene after a smoke detector was activated and a Careline alarm was sounded.
Mr Green initially answered the call but operator at Careline lost communication. Within six minutes, the crew was on scene and investigating. They could hear the alarm but were unable to establish contact with the man inside. With curtains drawn, the crew could not see in-side but could hear a dog barking. They tried the front door, but it wouldn’t open. As the crew looked for another entrance, they heard a “click” and the front door opened. The crew went inside to find a man collapsed on the floor in the kitchen when a fire was beginning to take hold on the cooker. They contacted the ambulance service, put out the fire and allowed fresh air in. Firefighters then carried out first aid and stabilized the man until paramedics arrived. It wasn’t until later in the incident that they discovered that Chi Chi had managed to open the front door and let the crew inside.
Ian Bolton, Crew Manager for Home and Partnerships at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service added: “Having monitored detection in people’s homes means the fire service are only minutes away from providing lifesaving assistance. This is a real success story and highlights the importance of Careline and the fire service. Careline’s system, combined with the speed of our crews getting to the incident, saved Mr Green’s life. The cherry on the cake. however, was Chi Chi letting the crews in before they had to force entry to the property. ”
1. What does the underlined word “averted” in Paragraph 3 mean?| A．Approved. | B．Avoided. | C．Approached. | D．Adjusted. |
| A．The man fell down and couldn’t move. |
| B．The system broke down accidentally. |
| C．The operator lost his senses. |
| D．The crew couldn’t see inside. |
| A．The swift reaction of Mr. Green. |
| B．The wide use of the smoke detector. |
| C．The dog unlocking the entrance to the door. |
| D．The joint work of Careline and the fire service. |
| A．Competent. | B．Encouraging. | C．Considerate. | D．Energetic. |
8 . The world becomes a better place when we not only recognize that everyone has bad days, but when we also care enough to act accordingly. No matter what kind of bad experience we experience, we should treat it actively. Fourth-grade teacher Rachel Harder recognized this, and she found an amazing way to help out both her students and their families.
A few years ago, the Kansas teacher attended a trauma (心理创伤) conference. She learned that some police stations partner with schools so they can let teachers know when one of their students has a police encounter, something that could cause them to need extra care or attention. A year after the conference, Rachel had a student with autism (自闭症) who frequently had tough days. To support the student, Rachel told his mom to simply text her “handle with care” to let her know when it was going to be one of those days.
The simple method was such a success that Rachel decided to send all her students home with a note for their parents. It explained what the “Handle with Care” system was and how they could take advantage of it. In no time, parents began to show their appreciation for Rachel’s incredible act of kindness. But Rachel’s sympathy didn’t end with her class. Word spread of the amazing system, and teachers across the country began giving it a shot in their own classrooms. Printouts can be found on the Smart School House website, and the feedback has been extremely positive!
Even though teachers can sometimes tell when a student is having a tough day just by the way they’re acting, Rachel said these simple texts allow educators to make minor adjustments in advance that, in turn, make the whole day better for everyone. “It’s important for me to give kids a few minutes of extra time or space,” she said, “and it’s easy to give.”
1. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．The tough time in life. | B．The beauty of nature. |
| C．A positive attitude to hardship. | D．An extreme working style. |
| A．By supporting him to do what he wants. | B．By discussing his trauma in a conference. |
| C．By knowing his state at home from his mother. | D．By getting assistance from some police stations. |
| A．To prove the behavior is efficient. | B．To inform the parents of her method. |
| C．To explain the kindness to the parents. | D．To gain the parents’ sympathy for herself. |
| A．Curious and courageous. | B．Energetic and grateful. |
| C．Humorous and warm-hearted. | D．Responsible and considerate. |
9 . In 2020, fresh out of high school, I had difficulty in choosing a major before college. With only two options left, I was in deep trouble. My uncle, an influential person in the family, suggested that I should do a work placement (实习) to gain experience for a month in a bank followed by a month in a hospital so that I could make a decision. It seemed like a brilliant idea.
Near the end of my month at the hospital, I began thinking about my two experiences. The bank had offered a more relaxing atmosphere, better working hours and less stress. While hospital was full of excitement, the training was challenging. It seemed that the bank was going to win out.
Then one day when I was driving home from the hospital, I witnessed a terrible accident. Two cars crashed, causing a boy lying motionless in the middle of the road. People gathered around him but no one could really help. As a matter of fact, I wanted to keep going and ignored it, but the urge to stop and help was stronger. I got out of my car and tried to stop his bleeding but didn’t succeed. With the help of some bystanders, I lifted his unconscious body into the back seat of my car, and rushed him to the hospital.
The next day, the doctor introduced me as “the person who saved your son’s life” to the boy’s parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Everyone got up, with grateful smiles on their faces. The boy, now managed a smile though unable to speak.
What a feeling it was to help save the life of another person! I spent the rest of the day in a state of excitement. Driving home that evening, I knew what I would prefer for the rest of my life.
1. What can we know about the writer from the first two paragraphs?| A．The writer didn’t adopt his uncle’s advice. |
| B．The writer had trouble in choosing a college. |
| C．The writer was at a loss what major to choose in the college. |
| D．The writer thought being a doctor was better after two experiences. |
| A．The injured boy lost his life on the spot. |
| B．The writer saved the boy without hesitation. |
| C．The writer managed to stop the boy’s bleeding. |
| D．The boy’s relatives appreciated the writer’s help. |
| A．The writer would be a medical student. |
| B．The writer regretted what he had done. |
| C．The writer decided to work in a bank. |
| D．The writer still had no idea what major to choose. |
| A．No pains, no gains. | B．Follow your heart and just do it. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. | D．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
10 . When the pandemic hit last year, substitute teacher Jose Villaruel found himself out of work as lessons went online. The consequences were unbearable for the septuagenarian, who’d been sending his income to his sick wife and children living in Mexico.
In fact, the devoted husband had been living out of his car for the past eight years so he could send his family the money they needed. Now, with no job, Villaruel is living off his Social Security check, most of which he sent to his loved ones.
Thankfully, a former student, Steven Nava, came across his struggling teacher in a parking lot at 5:00 am on the way to work. He approached his old teacher and asked about his circumstances. When Villaruea explained his struggles, the 21-year-old decided to help. “He was so nice around his students. He’d be really, really funny when he took attendance,” Nava said.
Nava gave him the $300 he had on him at the time. The teacher was moved, as his former student shared, “He came over to give me a hug and as he was hugging me, I saw tears running down his face.”
Villaruel’s response only encouraged Nava to help further, as he promised the teacher he’d do whatever it took to get him out of his predicament. “Seeing him living and going through that struggle made me want to do this. He helped us with our futures and helped us become the persons we are today, so I wanted to help him and make sure he’s in a situation where he doesn’t have to worry anymore,” the young man explained.
Later, Nava set up a GoFundMe page and t he donations quickly mounted up to $27,000. So along with other former students, he presented the check to a delighted “Mr. V” on his 77th birthday.
The impressed teacher is now planning to have a little vacation in Mexico to spend time with his family.
1. What can we know about Jose Villaruel during the pandemic?| A．He led a hard life. | B．He lived on driving. |
| C．He lost his family. | D．He was busy teaching. |
| A．He found a job for him. | B．He gave him some cash. |
| C．He helped him park his car. | D．He attended his live lecture. |
| A．Lifestyle. | B．Work. | C．Dilemma. | D．Loss. |
| A．Brave and adventurous. | B．Hard-working and creative. |
| C．Ambitious and successful. | D．Grateful and warm-hearted. |
