1 . My neighbour Orlando is a paramedic (护理人员). He and his wife are some of the nicest people I have ever met. A few years back we started this sort of “favor war”, where one of us would do something for the other, such as shoveling (铲) his driveway or helping him build a shed, and next time the other would try to top it with another favor.
Yesterday morning there was maybe 2 or 3 feet of snow on the ground and I remembered he shoveled my driveway for me last snowfall. So I took out my shovel and took care of both our sidewalks and driveways because it was my turn to do a favor back. It took a while but I finished and got into my car for work. What I did not realize was that Orlando had to work that day too.
Fast forward to this morning I got a knock on my door. It was him. He immediately shook my hand and informed me that because I shoveled his driveway and sidewalk for him, he was able to get to work earlier. As soon as he started his shift, a call came through that a young boy was in a medical emergency. Luckily he and his partner were only about 2 minutes away, but the next closest ambulance was in 10 minutes. This kid didn’t have 10 minutes. He barely had 2 minutes. Because my neighbour got to work sooner, the young boy got to live his life.
This isn’t a brag (吹嘘). This is to inform others that even the smallest favors can have the biggest impacts. It wasn’t too much of trouble to shovel his driveway for him, but because I did, the young kid got to see his family again, go back to school again, talk to his friends again and live his life.
1. What can we know about the writer and Orlando?A.They once had a conflict. | B.They signed a favorable agreement. |
C.They favor shoveling snow together. | D.They are always ready to help each other. |
A.The writer. | B.The boy’s parents. |
C.Orlando and his partner. | D.Orlando and his wife. |
A.To tell him to clear up the snow. | B.To tell him to do a favour back. |
C.To express his thanks to him. | D.To say he started his shift. |
A.Never ask for trouble. | B.No favor is too small. |
C.One cannot always be lucky. | D.Don’t lose heart in an emergency. |
2 . Bertie knew there was something in the wind. His mother had been sad in recent days, not sick, just strangely sad. The lion had just lain down beside him, his head warm on Bertie’s feet, when Father cleared his throat and began, “You’ll soon be eight, Bertie. A boy needs a proper education. We’ve found the right place for you, a school near Salisbury in England.”
His heart filled with a terrible fear, all Bertie could think of was his white lion. “But the lion,” he cried, “What about the lion?”
“I’m afraid there’s something else I have to tell you,” his father said. Looking across at Bertie’s mother, he took a deep breath. Then he told Bertie he had met a circus owner from France, who was over in Africa looking for lions to buy. He would come to their farm in a few days.
“No! You can’t send him to a circus!” said Bertie. “He’ll be shut up behind bars. I promised him he never would be. And they will come to see him and laugh at him. He’d rather die. Any animal would!” But as he looked across the table at them, he knew their minds were quite made up.
Bertie felt completely betrayed. He waited until he heard his father’s deep breathing next door. With his white lion at his heels, he crept downstairs in his pyjamas, took down his father’s rifle from the rack and stepped out into the night. He ran and ran till his legs could run no more. As the sun came up over the grassland, he climbed to the top of a hill and sat down, his arms round the lion’s neck. The time had come. “Be wild now,” he whispered. “You’ve got to be wild. Don’t ever come home. All my life I’ll think of you, I promise I will.” He buried his head in the lion’s neck. Then, Bertie clambered down off the hill and walked away.
When he looked back, the lion was still sitting there watching him; but then he stood up, yawned, stretched, and sprang down after him. Bertie shouted at him, but he kept coming. He threw sticks. He threw stones. Nothing worked.
There was only one thing left to do. Tears filling his eyes and his mouth, he lifted the rifle to his shoulder and fired over the lion’s head.
1. Bertie’s mother was sad probably because she________.A.had lied about her good health condition | B.had decided to send Bertie to a new school |
C.knew selling the lion would upset Bertie | D.knew Bertie would hate to go to England |
A.some audience | B.other animals | C.Bertie’s friends | D.circus’s owners |
A.kill the lion out of helplessness | B.protect himself from being chased |
C.threaten the lion back to the wild | D.show his anger towards his father |
A.circuses are the last places for animals to live |
B.animals belonging to the wild should be set free |
C.parents are sometimes cruel to their children |
D.people and animals can be faithful to each other |
3 . My teacher held up a piece of broken glass and asked, “Who broke this window?”
Thirty boys tried to think about not only what they had done, but also what the teacher might have found out. She seldom became angry, but she was this time.
“Oh,” I thought. I was the one who broke the window. It was caused by a naughty throw of a baseball. If I admitted guilt, I would be in a lot of trouble. How would I be able to pay for a big window like that? I didn’t even get an allowance. “My father is going to have a fit as a result of it,” I thought. I didn’t want to raise my hand, but some force much stronger than I was pulled it skyward (朝向天空). I told the truth, “I did it.” It was hard enough to say what I had done.
My teacher took down a book from one of our library shelves and I had never known my teacher to strike a student, but I feared she was going to start with me.
“I know how much you like birds,” she said as she stood looking down at my guilt-ridden face. “Here is the field guide about birds that you are constantly checking out. It is yours now. It’s time we got a new one for the school anyway. You will not be punished, but remember that I am not rewarding you for your misdeed (恶行), but I am rewarding you for your truthfulness.”
I couldn’t believe it! I wasn’t being punished and I was getting my own bird field guide — the very one that I had been saving up money to buy.
The lesson my teacher taught me stays with me every day, and it will echo forever.
1. From the story, we can learn that the boy .A.didn’t break the window on purpose |
B.lacked the courage to admit his guilt |
C.tried to think about what he had done |
D.didn’t know what the teacher had found out |
A.be punished by the teacher |
B.make his father angry |
C.pay for the broken window |
D.get a bird field guide |
A.Afraid—Surprised—Thankful. |
B.Frightened—Amazed—Proud. |
C.Regretful—Guilty—Excited. |
D.Nervous—Afraid—Satisfied. |
A.Every coin has two sides. |
B.Honesty is always valued. |
C.Bad luck never comes alone. |
D.You can’t be too careful. |
4 . Five years ago, my wife said she’d found us a tiny but clean house, which was close to the historic Abbot Kinney. However, there was a bus depot (公共汽车车库) across the street. Hundreds of buses noisily parked there every night and noisily left every morning. It was awful.
But I was determined to make the best of it. “It is noisy, but it offers us a good way to think about what is required to make a city work,” I kept telling our 6-year-old daughter.
The one morning, I woke up to find that the buses were gone! I allowed myself to get excited. My daughter, however, was unhappy. It took me a minute to understand: she had got used to the idea of us having a role in city life.
Shortly afterward, a homeless encampment (临时营地) was built there. Then I found out what was planned for the bus depot—a place to deal with the homeless.
When I told my daughter about the “bridge housing”, a big smile spread across her face. Her first reaction wasn’t fear or selfishness. She understood immediately how special it was that the bus depot would become a place for people who needed just that to live.
What story about city life could I tell her then? I tried to keep fruit in the car so that at traffic lights, we could hand out a banana or an apple. When a woman put up a tent on the sidewalk in front of our stairs, I filled all her water bottles.
Now we have a couple hundred new neighbors, and I’ll be telling anyone who will listen what an honour it is to live among the homeless. Without my daughter, I might not have come to the same conclusion.
1. What was the advantage of the author’s new house?A.It was close to a tourist attraction. |
B.There were too many neighbors around. |
C.It was big enough for the family to use. |
D.A bus depot around it helped them understand how a city worked. |
A.Afraid. | B.Puzzled. | C.Pleased. | D.Upset. |
A.She thought she had a role in city life. |
B.She disliked the idea of bridge housing. |
C.She realized it would be helpful to the homeless. |
D.She could live in peace finally without the buses. |
A.My role of the city life. | B.My tiny but clean house. |
C.My family’s love for our house. | D.My family’s honor to live among the homeless. |
5 . When I was in the seventh grade, I volunteered about thirty to forty hours a week during the summer at a local hospital in my town. Most of the time I spent there was with Mr. Gillespie, who never had any visitors. Nobody seemed to care about his condition.
I spent many days there holding his hand and talking to him, helping with anything that needed to be done. He became a close friend of mine, even though he responded with only an occasional squeeze of my hand. Mr. Gillespie was in a coma (昏迷).
I left for a week to vacation with my parents, and when I came back, he was gone. I didn’t have the nerve to ask any of the nurses where he was, for fear they might tell me he had died. So with many questions unanswered, I continued to volunteer there through my eighth-grade year.
One day several years later, when I was at the gas station I noticed a familiar face. When I realized who it was, my eyes filled with tears. He was alive! I asked him if he was Mr. Gillespie. With an uncertain look on his faces, he replied yes. I explained how I knew him. His eyes welled up with tears, and he gave me the warmest hug I had ever received.
He began to tell me how, as he lay there comatose, he could hear me talking to him and could feel me holding his hand the whole time. He thought it was an angel, not a person, who was there with him. Mr. Gillespie firmly believed that it was my voice and touch that had kept him alive.
Although I haven’t seen him since, he fills my heart with joy every day. I know that I made a difference between his life and his death. More important, he has made a tremendous difference in my life. I will never forget him and what he did for me: he made me an angel.
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?A.Mr. Gillespie’s terrible situation. |
B.An unexpected meeting with Mr. Gillespie. |
C.Mr. Gillespie’s personal life and family stories. |
D.Careful care offered to Mr. Gillespie from the author. |
A.Courage. | B.Ability. | C.Anxiety. | D.Right. |
A.An angel’s blessing. | B.His own good luck. |
C.The advanced treatments he received. | D.The author’s voice and care. |
A.The author didn’t volunteer in his eighth grade. |
B.Meeting up with Mr. Gillespie again made his day. |
C.The two have become good friends and contacted regularly. |
D.Mr. Gillespie couldn’t hear the author’s words while in a coma. |
6 . 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. |
7 . Some years ago in the departure lounge (休息室) of a flight from New York’s LaGuardia airport to O’Hare in Chicago, I found a young boy in tears and his mother at his side also appeared upset. I walked to them and invited them to our VIP lounge.
As it turned out, the boy, Miles and his mom were returning to their home in Kansas City. Miles has had some health problems. Though he had received more than thirty operations in a Jewish Hospital in New York, he would be back for more.
Miles enjoyed spending his time in our VIP lounge looking at the entire wall filled with the pictures of many celebrities (名人) who often came to our office. We soon added Miles’ picture to the wall among those celebrities. Among the celebrities, Miles liked the country singer Garth Brooks best. Miles would just sit and stare at Garth’s picture.
One day, Mr. Brooks was waiting in the lounge for his flight. As he looked at the collection of photographs, Garth asked about the youngster with the big smile. We told him about Miles. We also told him how much Miles loved and respected him. He nodded and left.
About six months later, Garth was going to perform in Kansas City and he asked our workers to help him get in touch with the family. He wanted Miles to be his guest. That evening, not only did Miles sit in the front row, but he and Garth also had a private meeting after the performance.
Although Miles would receive many more treatments after that special evening, his smile greeted us with every following visit. The face of a sick boy was changed by the joy of a stranger.
1. How was Miles’ mother when the author saw them?A.Sad. | B.Moved. | C.Confused. | D.Satisfied. |
A.Playing with his mother. | B.Singing with his favorite singer. |
C.Talking with the author. | D.Admiring pictures of famous people. |
A.Proud and brave. | B.Creative and generous. |
C.Kind and helpful. | D.Powerful and considerate. |
A.Miles has completely recovered. |
B.The author knew Garth very well. |
C.Garth’s kindness encouraged Miles greatly. |
D.Garth got in touch with Miles through the author. |
8 . 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. |
9 . One of my earliest memories started with me sobbing. Mum took out an old sheet of wrapping paper and began to fold it. Soon, a paper tiger stood on the table. “Tiger!” said mom. I was fascinated by Tiger and stopped crying.
Mum started to make paper toys and would leave them on the breakfast table for me.
One day, when I was playing with Tiger, my neighbor, a boy around my age asked, “What’s this?” “It’s a paper tiger. My mum made it!” I replied proudly. “Your mum makes you toys from rubbish?” he cried in disbelief. I had never thought of Tiger as that. Looking at it now, I found Tiger’s body patched (修补) all over with tape. I hid Tiger in my pocket sheepishly.
The next day at school, the other children whispered as they stared at me. “Do you really play with rubbish? Don’t you have any normal toys?” Someone shouted. The children roared with laughter. I tried to slip away but fell to the ground.
When I got home, I put Tiger and all the paper animals into a big box and hid it in the attic (阁楼). When I saw Mum’s new creation, a paper giraffe, I knocked it into the bin. I shouted at her, “I’m not a baby anymore!” From that day on, Mum’s creations stopped appearing on the breakfast table.
Years later, while preparing for our class graduation photoshoot, someone suggested posing with a treasured childhood item. I then searched the attic for one and saw the box of old paper toys. I opened it with care. As I held Tiger, I recalled our adventures and how I had put it aside so carelessly. A pang of guilt crowded in on me.
When I received my graduation photo, I placed it on Mum’s dressing table with a note, “I’m sorry I threw the paper giraffe away and thanks for everything!” Later that day, I saw the photo in our family’s display cabinet. Next to the photo was a new addition — a paper giraffe.
1. What does the underlined word “sheepishly” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?A.Embarrassedly. | B.Guiltily. | C.Proudly. | D.Disappointedly. |
A.She put the paper toys in the attic. |
B.She folded another paper giraffe |
C.She secretly threw Tiger into the bin. |
D.She stopped making paper toys for him. |
A.He managed to keep calm when being laughed at. |
B.His mother accepted his apology in the end. |
C.He enjoyed creating paper toys with his mom. |
D.His mother made paper toys to support her family. |
A.A mother’s love is never exhausted. |
B.One shouldn’t be ashamed to admit mistakes. |
C.Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. |
D.No one will laugh at a person who goes all out. |
10 . Mei Ling hurried to Uncle Ahmad’s house that evening. She could not wait to try the delicious nasi lemak (椰浆饭) and curry (咖哩) chicken that he had specially prepared for the occasion. He was celebrating his sixtieth birthday and everyone in the village was invited for this biggest party of the year.
That party was special as Uncle Ahmad had promised to give everyone a surprise. He said he had bought a magic box that could show pictures of people and that the people could talk. No one in the village had ever heard of anything like that.
Even as Mei Ling was walking towards Uncle Ahmad’s house, the smell of nasi lemak and curry chicken filled the air. The children knew that they would be having a great feast that night. When all the guests arrived, Uncle Ahmad presented his magic box. It sat on a four-spindly-leg table at the front of his big room. On the front of the black box was a glass screen and four little buttons.
Everyone pushed forward to get a closer look at it. Mei Ling and her friends peered into the screen but they could not see anything. They tapped the glass to make sure it was not a trick.
“Don’t touch the magic box!” said Uncle Ahmad He stepped in front of it and signaled to them to move back. He did not want anything to happen to it. He told them to sit down on the mats (垫子). Then he pushed one of the buttons and the glass screen lit up.
Suddenly, the face of a man appeared on the screen and he started speaking. What kind of man was his? He was so small! The guests’ eyes lit up. Everyone broke into chatter.
The children looked behind the box but there was no one there. Could someone be inside the box? They wondered. They could not work it out.
Uncle Ahmad waved his hands again and everyone became quiet. People sat eating dinner, staring at the characters on the screen.
It was the very first time that the villagers had watched television.
1. Why was Mei Ling in a hurry to go to Uncle Ahmad’s house?A.She wanted to see a magic box. | B.She had to prepare a great feast. |
C.She was eager to try the delicious food. | D.She had to invite everyone in the village. |
A.It had four spindly legs. | B.It was made of glass. |
C.It could light up automatically. | D.It could show images and sounds. |
A.The villagers watched TV for the first time. |
B.The village was a very poor and remote place. |
C.The villagers were very curious about the magic box. |
D.Uncle Ahmad had presented his magic box before all the guests arrived. |
A.A Remote Village. | B.A Birthday Present. | C.A Magic Box. | D.A Rich Supper. |