1 . The 65-year-old Steve Goodwin was found suffering from early Alzheimer’s (阿尔茨海默症). He was losing his memory.
A software engineer by profession, Steve was a keen lover of the piano, and the only musician in his family. Music was his true passion, though he had never performed outside the family.
Melissa, his daughter, felt it more than worthwhile to save his music, to which she fell asleep each night when she was young. She thought about hirıng a professional pianist to work with her father.
Naomi, Melissa’s best friend and a talented pianist, got to know about this and showed willingness to help.
“Why do this?” Steve wondered.
“Because she cares.” Melissa said.
Steve nodded, tear in eye.
Naomi drove to the Goodwin home: She told Steve she’d love to hear him play Steve moved to the piano and sat at the bench, hands trembling as he gently placed his fingers on the keys.
Naomi put a small recorder near the piano. Starts and stops and mistakes. Long pauses, heart sinking. But Steve pressed on, playing for the first time in his life for a stranger.
“It was beautiful.” Naomi said after listening to the recording. “The music was worth saving.”
Her responsibility, her privilege, would be to rescue it. The music was still in Steve Goodwin. It was hidden in rooms with doors about to be locked.
Naomi and Steve met every other week and spent hours together. He’d move his fingers clumsily on the piano, and then she’d take his place. He struggled to explain what he heard in his head. He stood by the piano, eyes closed, listening for the first time to his own work being played by someone else.
Steve and Naomi spoke in musical code lines, beats, intervals, moving from the root to end a song in a new key. Steve heard it. All of it. He just couldn’t play it.
Working with Naomi did wonders for Steve. It had excited within him the belief he could write one last song. One day, Naomi received an email. Attached was a recording, a recording of loss and love, of the fight. Steve called it “Melancholy Flower”.
Naomi heard multiple stops and starts, Steve struggling, searching while his wife Joni called him “honey” and encouraged him. The task was so hard, and Steve, angry and upset, said he was quitting. Joni praised him, telling her husband this could be his signature piece.
Naomi managed to figure out 16 of Steve’s favorite, and most personal songs. With Naomi’s help, the Goodwin family found a sound engineer to record Naomi playing Steve’s songs. Joni thought that would be the end. But it wasn’t.
In the months leading up to the 2016 Oregon Repertory Singers Christmas concert, Naomi told the director she had a special one in mind: “Melancholy Flower.”
She told the director about her project with Steve. The director agreed to add it to the playing list. But Naomi would have to ask Steve’s permission. He considered it an honor.
After the concert, Naomi told, the family that Steve’s music was beautiful and professional. It needed to be shared in public.
The family rented a former church in downtown Portland and scheduled a concert. By the day of the show, more than 300 people had said they would attend.
By then, Steve was having a hard time remembering the names of some of his friends. He knew the path his life was now taking. He told his family he was at peace.
Steve arrived and sat in the front row, surrounded by his family. The house lights faded. Naomi took the stage. Her fingers. His heart.
1. Why did Melissa want to save her father’s music?| A．His music could stop his disease from worsening. |
| B．She wanted to please her dying old father. |
| C．His music deserved to be preserved in the family. |
| D．She wanted to make her father a professional. |
| A．It was slow but productive. |
| B．It was beneficial to his health. |
| C．It was tiresome for Naomi. |
| D．It was vital for Naomi’s career. |
| A．thought the music talent of Steve was exhausted... |
| B．didn’t expect the damage the disease brought about |
| C．didn’t fully realize the value of her husband’s music |
| D．brought her husband’s music career to perfection |
| A．The Kindness of Friends | B．The Power of Music |
| C．The Making of a Musician | D．The Value of Determination |
2 . One minute, Peggy Lewis and her husband, Harris Lee, were watching the trees blow in the wind. The next, they were surrounded by flying pieces of glass from the house’s broken windows. The roof was torn off. The walls caved in (塌陷). After the 152-mph tornado (龙卷风) had passed, it took a team of neighbors to pull the couple from the rubble (碎砖) and take them to the hospital.
When the pair returned to their house three days later, it was clear that what remained of the house would need to be torn down, but before Peggy would let that happen, she wanted one thing first—her family Bible.
Peggy had bought the Bible 35 years earlier, at the start of her marriage. Like many people, she’d used it to hold her family’s history — old photos, and a handkerchief from her great-grandmother.
The Bible was the first thing Peggy looked for when she returned to the house. When two volunteers showed up, Peggy had one task for them.
After an hour of searching, one of the volunteers ran up to her. Peggy had tears running down her face. The young woman had found the book while looking through rubble. Surprisingly, while many other books inside the house had been destroyed beyond recognition, the Bible was still complete, even though it had sat in the rain for days. “I completely broke down,” says Peggy. “I thought it was gone forever.” She was extremely grateful.
Peggy and her family were living at a friend’s house until they got back on their feet. But the book already has its well-deserved place of honor, in Peggy’ borrowed dresser. She knows that while every good book tells stories of disastrous (灾难性的) weather and unlikely survival, this one actually lived it.
1. What happened to the couple during the tornado?| A．They were hurt by glass. | B．They were buried in ruins. |
| C．They were blown to the wall. | D．They were forced to leave their house. |
| A．To help find her Bible. | B．To get her a new dresser. |
| C．To dig out all the buried things. | D．To tear down the dangerous house. |
| A．It’s very expensive. | B．It’s a gift from her husband. |
| C．It marked her marriage. | D．It held important things. |
| A．Excited but surprised. | B．Sad but thankful. |
| C．Excited and thankful. | D．Surprised but sad. |
| A．An important book. | B．All of her books. |
| C．Her house. | D．Some of her relatives. |
When my husband Ash told me he was planning to turn down some perfectly good job offers and start his own business, I was surprised. I advised against it. But Ash’s mother, who had run her own business, said: “Why not give it a go?”
My mother-in-law was right. Ash started Present Model Management. He loves it: the pressure (压力) he has now is lower. Plus, he can take the kids to school if he wants.
Watching him succeed inspired me to take my own leap. After 12 years of working as a childminder, I knew that something had to change. I loved the kids, but I’d been singing “Twinkle Twinkle” for 12 years. I only became a childminder in order to be home with my own children. Now that they are more independent, I have time to try something more exciting.
I set up @family_feasts to record what our family eats: healthy, tasty meals on a sensible budget (开支). From there, I started a WordPress blog to hold the recipes (食谱). When I started sharing weekly meal plans, the feedback (反响) was amazing. That’s what people want: inspiration.
At first I wanted to teach workshops for parents. To prove that I could teach, I started a cooking class for 8-10-year-old children at my daughter’s primary school.
It sold out overnight. A year later, I have a long waiting list. It’s so meaningful to watch the kids learn: they’ve burnt and cut themselves, but they’re really starting to understand flavors.
The next thing that took off was children’s cookery birthday parties. People have booked those through word of mouth. From the strength of my blog, I’ve published recipes with the BBC and Co-op Food Magazine. My final dream is to write a family cookbook one day.
I’m so glad that Ash and I took this leap. We plan our work around the kids. We pay ourselves less than before, but we also spend more sensibly. I love the freedom of our life, the time we have together, and the excitement of building a community of kids who will be able to feed themselves.
1. What was Ash’s mother’s attitude towards his plan? (no more than 5 words)2. Why did the author want to change her job as a childminder? (no more than 10 words)
3. What was the author’s third business? (no more than 15 words)
4. What does the underlined words probably mean in the last but one paragraph? (1 word)
5. What benefits has the author gained from setting up her own business? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)
“I can’t believe you have driven from Florida to Tennessee for me,” said Kyle, as tears filled his eyes. We talked in a private room in the church while groomsmen (伴郎) paced outside the open door. In a few minutes, the wedding would change Kyle’s life. It was a significant occasion for me, too, because I had been his second-grade teacher and mentor (导师) for the past twenty years.
It started when Kyle was assigned to my second-grade classroom. On the first day of class, I approached the thin, sad-looking boy with messy blond hair. “Welcome to my class, Kyle,” I said. He looked at the floor and didn’t respond. When I helped him with his assignments (作业) during the week, I noticed he didn’t know how to properly finish his work and his writing was messy. He attempted some lessons but often had wrong answers.
During a talk with his grandmother, who was raising Kyle. she said, “I’m thankful that you are his teacher. He never liked his teacher before, but he adores you. I wonder how he has been a different kettle of fish over the months. At home, Kyle now behaves better. He begins to listen to me and obey my orders. What’s more, it seems that he has fallen in love with his study.” I was glad that I could make a difference to Kyle. Unfortunately, due to some family factors, the grandmother and Kyle moved to Tennessee later.
Years later, a tall teenager visited me. It was the struggling student, Kyle. He said he had traveled to Florida to see his father and me. After that, Kyle began to visit me each summer, and we talked about his life, the importance of making good choices, etc. After graduation from school, without his parents’ support. Kyle managed to start his own business, later bought a truck, and moved into his own beautiful apartment. I was really proud of him.
And now Kyle was getting married. He said, “I’m lucky that you have influenced my life.”
1. Why did the author drive from Florida to Tennessee?(no more than 6 words)2. What could the author find from Kyle’s assignments?(no more than 10 words)
3. What does the underlined sentence mean in Paragraph 3?(no more than 10 words)
4. Why was the author proud of Kyle?(no more than 10 words)
5. Do you like such teachers as the author? Please explain.(no more than 20 words)
When my father was celebrating a milestone (里程碑), birthday, I pulled together a surprised gift that he would never forget.
On his 60th birthday, I had a fun idea: What if I could get the memories people had of him, put each one into an envelope (信封) — 60 in total — and have him open them, one by one, on his birthday? So I wrote an e-mail to family and friends, explaining my idea.
I sent the e-mail and waited. And then the replies started coming in and I was very, very astonished. There were so many memories, and they were all so lovely. They came from the ′50s, ′60s, ′70s, from every decade (十年) between now and the day my dad was born. They came from my mother, my siblings, my grandma, my dad’s friends from high school, his sister, my dad’s first boss, a colleague at his first job, from people who hadn’t seen my dad in 40 years, from people I myself hadn’t even informed. They typed them and hand-wrote them. They mailed them and e-mailed them.
The night before Dad’s birthday, my sister and I stayed up late, putting the mails into envelopes.
The next morning, after breakfast and presents and cake, we gave the pile of envelopes to him. “Just one more thing for you,” we said.
It took him along time to open them and read. Each one was a brief ticket to another time, a leap (跳跃) backward over years and decades. There was a lot of laughter and a few tears in his face.
I was kind of sad when the project of the memories about my .father was over because it was, great fun to collect these memories.
1. When did the author give her father a surprised gift? (no more than 5 words)2. What does the underlined word “astonished” in paragraph 3 probably mean? ( no more than 10 words)
3. Why did the author and her sister stay up late the night before their father’s birthday? (no more than 10 words)
4. How did the author’s father most probably feel when he read the mails? (no more than 2 words)
5. What was the surprised gift? (no more than 6 words)
6 . Westsider Rare & Used Books bookstore is a big name on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. It’s the type of old shop where you can wander narrow walkways for hours while looking through towering shelves stuffed with books ranging from cheap, used copies to rare collections. The store has even been used as a setting in several films.
In January, a neighborhood resident Bobby Panza, saw the Westsider was having a going-out-of-business sale. He also read a story on a local blog in which store owner Dorian Thornley made an “off the cuff (即兴的)” remark that the store could stay open if it could raise $50,000 — “don’t see that happening, though,” Thornley mentioned at the time.
Panza, who had never formally met Thornley but had shopped at the store for a decade, started a GoFundMe campaign. In just four days, 850 people donated from $5 to thousands of dollars each and raised $54,000.
With the money, Thornley updated (更新) the store’s selection of used and rare books and reorganized the interior (内部) of the bookstore. Thornley also intended to buy advertising for his store, but the publicity from the GoFundMe campaign has helped raise awareness and helped boost (提高) Westsider’s sales by nearly 25%. Thornley has saved some of the money to ensure Westsider won’t fall behind on its rent again.
Thornley found out about the crowdfunding effort the day after it started when a customer asked whether Thornley was serious about keeping the store open for good if $50,000 could be raised. When he told her he was serious, the customer — a local writer named Sally Klingenstein Martell — donated $10,000 to get the effort off the ground. Thornley calls Martell’s significant donation “the motivator for everyone else donating”.
Whether the money will be enough to permanently save the business remains to be seen. But now that Westsider has avoided the worst, Thornley is trying to make that happen.
1. What do we know about Westsider Rare & Used Books?| A．It has sponsored several old shops. |
| B．It is hardly known by local residents. |
| C．It is decorated to look like a cinema. |
| D．It sells both cheap books and rare collections. |
| A．Hopeless. | B．Ashamed. | C．Confident. | D．Enthusiastic. |
| A．A regular customer successfully organized the donation campaign. |
| B．Panza has been friends with the store owner for ten years. |
| C．Thornley wanted to transfer the possession of the bookstore at first. |
| D．The donation can make Westsider survive permanently. |
| A．He paid for his daily expenses. |
| B．He bought advertising for his store. |
| C．He rented a new place to sell books. |
| D．He improved customers’ shopping experience. |
| A．It was extraordinarily generous. |
| B．It was done before the crowdfunding effort. |
| C．It excited other people’s donations. |
| D．It raised Thornley’s hope to open a branch store. |
On 8th August, 1914, 27 men who had replied to an advertisement in The Times boarded a ship leaving for the Antarctic (南极洲). The name of the ship was the Endurance and the captain was an Irishman called Ernest Shackleton.
The aim of the journey was to cross the frozen continent via the South Pole — a journey of 1, 800 miles. Shackleton thought the journey would last six months.
But when land came into sight, the Endurance became trapped in the ice and began to break up. Shackleton and his men watched the Endurance sink into the icy sea. They then headed north, pulling three lifeboats behind them.
After six days, bad weather forced them to give up and the men set up camp on a sheet of ice which began slowly moving across the Antarctic Circle.
They survived on the ice for five months. Then, on 16th April, 1915, Shackleton saw land. It was Elephant Island — a large rock with nothing growing on it, but much better than a floating piece of ice. When they reached the island, Shackleton came up with an idea — it was a risk but he would have to take it. He and five men would take one of the lifeboats, and sail 800 miles to South Georgia, where there was a permanent camp. They could then return to rescue the rest of the men.
It took Shackleton 17 days to reach South Georgia. Unfortunately he landed on the wrong side of the island, and had to walk 36 hours over mountains to reach the camp. The whale hunters at the camp couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the six men walking down from the mountains. Shackleton kept his promise. More than three months later, be returned to Elephant Island to rescue the crew he had been forced to abandon. He had failed to reach the pole — but he had saved the lives of all his men.
1. What was the goal of the adventure? (no more than 8 words)2. Why did they leave the Endurance? (no more than 6 words)
3. What does the underlined word mean in Paragraph 5? (1 word)
4. How did Shackleton save the lives of all his crew? (no more than 15 words)
5. What do you think of Shackleton? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)
8 . I looked through the window of the charming little violin shop, and my heart began to race.
I'd been out to dinner that evening. Since it wasn't dark yet after the meal, I decided to walk home from the restaurant. I had traveled that way before, yet I had never noticed that old little shop. But that night I felt drawn to the violin shop the moment I came across it.
I wiped the dirt from the window to get a better look inside. Several violins hung from the dark walls, quietly waiting to be chosen. As my eyes rested on them, I felt as though I were looking through a window into my own past.
My childhood was all about the pursuits I had attempted, most of which had been chosen by Mom. She was like, “Join the swim team, Tara. Your sister is a good swimmer;surely you will be, too. ”What she refused to acknowledge, however, was that I was visibly afraid of water.
Every Saturday I begged Mom not to make me go to the swim meet, but had little chance of success. That said, with a bang of the starting gun, I would dive into the cold water with all my strength and swim to the other side of the pool as fast as I could, only to find that the other swimmers slid past me. I would have given it up if I had not heard my father's encouraging shouts to cheer me on. When at last my hand would grab the edge of the pool, he would always be there with a warm, dry towel, telling me how proud he was of my desperate efforts.
Then came a turning point in my life the day our school orchestra( 管弦乐队)visited my class, and gave a demonstration. The drums annoyed me. The flutes(笛子)bored me. But the violin…ah, the violin. It made the sweetest sound I'd ever heard!My heart was dancing along with its flowing tune. For the first time in my life, I went so wild with joy.
Tightly holding the permission slip from the orchestra director, I ran all the way home after school, and shakily handed it to my parents with a fear that they might dismiss my desire. They didn't. Mom was thrilled to see me finally excited about something, and Dad winked(眨眼示意)at me while eagerly signing the slip.
I began practicing the violin with great passion, and rose quickly in ability. Before long I had won the first seat in the community orchestra …
1. What did the sight of the violins in that little shop bring to Tara's mind?| A．Her miserable past. |
| B．An unforgettable sport event. |
| C．The stories behind the violins. |
| D．Her childhood memory. |
| A．mindless and bad-tempered |
| B．caring and supportive |
| C．strict and demanding |
| D．tolerant and sympathetic |
| A．The tune of the flutes. |
| B．The beat of the drums. |
| C．The sound of the violin. |
| D．The manner of the musicians. |
| A．The steady improvement in her taste. |
| B．Her strong desire for success. |
| C．Her natural gift for music. |
| D．The rapid progress in her ability. |
| A．It's never too young to learn. |
| B．A passionate interest works wonders. |
| C．Hard work will pay off in the long run. |
| D．Like mother, like daughter. |
9 . Apple, a 34-year-old doctor, had been on call(待命) at Atlanta Medical Center for more than two days, with only a few hours’ sleep. And now tiredness was clouding her eyes as she drove to a meeting in Kentucky, nearly seven hours away. She tried turning on her CB radio (无线电，对讲机), which enthusiasts used to war none another about road conditions, but the airwaves (广播频道)were silent. Soon Apple’s car started to weave (迂回前进).
A 41-year-old trucker named Woody Key found a car ahead, drifting (漂移)off the road. Key shouted into his CB microphone, “Four-wheeler, are you all right?”
Apple woke up. She talked on her CB radio. “I’m tired, and I’m lucky I’m still alive driving this tired. Thanks!”
“Call me Woodpecker, my CB nickname,” the trucker said. “I’m going to Kentucky. And you?
“Kentucky.”
“I’ll travel behind and help keep you awake. What’s your CB nickname?”
“Dr. Froot Loops,” she told him. As they drove, they shared stories, and the time passed quickly. They parted near the Kentucky state line. She thanked him for keeping her awake and safe on the long, dark road.
Years later, Apple found several doctors checking a person brought in from an accident. His head was badly hurt. She put both hands on his head, hoping to calm him. “It’s not your time to die!” she said.
Then, he asked for her name.
“Dr. Sherry Apple,” she replied.
“No...your CB nickname.”
“How did you guess I have a CB?”
“...I know your voice...”
“My nickname is Dr. Froot Loops.”
“Oh...It’s me...Woodpecker!”
It was her truck driver! She said, “It’s not your time, Woodpecker!” Then Key was rushed into the operating room.
The first days out of the operating room were very painful for Key. Often Apple would get home and find her phone ringing. Nurses, unable to calm Key, asked her to return. She always did.
About two months after his accident, Key was ready to leave the hospital. As she was leaving, he told Apple, “I don’t think I could have made it without you.” Apple’s eyes welled up. “And I wouldn’t have made it without you.”
1. What happened to Apple on her way to Kentucky?| A．She was called back to hospital halfway. |
| B．She was disconnected from her friend. |
| C．She fell asleep as she drove. |
| D．She met with a car accident. |
| A．By giving her a lift. | B．By driving her car instead. |
| C．By talking with her by phone. | D．By keeping her eyes on the road. |
| A．By her appearance. | B．By her nickname. |
| C．By her name. | D．By her voice. |
| A．He fought to survive. | B．He returned home quickly. |
| C．He stayed quite calm in the hospital. | D．He was looked after by Apple every day. |
| A．It was heart-breaking. | B．It was life-saving. |
| C．It was serious. | D．It was strange. |
10 . He had been on a long flight. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: “Fasten your seatbelts.”
Then, after a while, a calm voice said, “We shall not be serving the drinks at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence (气流). Please be sure your seatbelt is fastened.” she looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming nervous.
Later, the voice of the announcer said, “We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us.
And then the storm broke out. The terrible thunder could be heard even above the sound of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies and within moments that great plane was like a leather thrown around on a vast ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on great current so fair, the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.
The man admitted that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, “As I looked around the plane. I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying.”
“The future seemed terrible and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm. And then, I suddenly saw a girl to whom the storm meant nothing. She just sat on her seat and was reading a book. Everything within her small world calm.
Sometimes she closed her eyes and then she would read again. She would straighten her legs but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being hit by the terrible storm, when it shook this way and that way, when it rose and fell so severely, and when all the adults were scared half to death, that unusual child was completely composed and unafraid.”
The man could hardly believe his eyes. It was not surprising, therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying off board he asked the girl why she had not been afraid. The sweet child replied, “Sir, my dad is the pilot and he is taking me home.’’
1. What happened while he was taking the flight?| A．A Passenger was scared to death | B．The plane met a turbulence |
| C．A girl became deaf in the plane | D．Drinks and food ran out |
| A．they were too afraid | B．they wanted to be happy |
| C．God asked them to | D．they were warned to |
| A．clever | B．health | C．strong | D．calm |
a. She closed her eyes b. She straightened her legs
c. She went on reading d. She sat on her seat reading
| A．a-d-b-c | B．d-c-a-b | C．d-a-c-b | D．a-b-c-d |
| A．Confidence | B．Determination | C．Behavior | D．Destination |
