1 . I felt anxious when going into my room from school. Every day, my room was something different. The hours away at school were long enough to cause a terrible change to my peaceful harbor. Today was no exception.
As I entered the house, Mom greeted me with a smile. It seemed like nothing was wrong. But I was still doubtful about it. Yesterday, around the mouth of my favorite figurine (小雕像) was a chocolate cookie. Obviously, Callie had enjoyed the cookie so much that she wanted to share it with my angel.
I looked around for Callie, who had just turned three. I didn’t see her, but I heard the TV blaring (发出声音) in the other room. As I examined the family room, I noticed it was pretty messy. There were toys all over the floor, but none of them seemed to be mine. Maybe she hadn't entered today. I was so hopeful that I breathed a sigh of relief.
I pushed my room door open and saw damage! There were a few headless dolls, some broken blocks, and a few juice-stained stuffed animals. “She did it again!” I screamed in anger. My mother ran up to me, embarrassed. She promised to put a Callie-proof lock on my door tonight. I felt better, because I knew that soon my room would truly belong to me. However, I was still angry with my little sister so I went into the family room to tell her how she had made life unpleasant for me. “Callie... ” I started. “Hooray!” she shouted.
She leaped off the sofa and hugged my knees with such happiness that I could only look down at her and smile. After all, she was only three and learning about the world in her own way. And she always chose to explore and destroy my room because she loved me, her big sister.
1. The purpose of the first paragraph is to introduce ______.| A．the unique family tradition | B．the background of the story |
| C．the challenges of school life | D．the troubles in high school |
| A．Naughty and lovely. | B．Smart and potential. |
| C．Horrible and awkward. | D．Shallow and energetic. |
| A．She was friendly to her sister. | B．She was angry with her sister. |
| C．She refused to accept her sister’s apology. | D．She thought her sister had done nothing wrong. |
| A．Her sister’s honesty. | B．The promise to her sister. |
| C．The love between sisters. | D．Her sister’s younger age. |
2 . Twenty years ago
I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.
I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.
When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice (临终医院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter (计价器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
At dawn, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
“How much do I owe you?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held on to me tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”
1. The old woman chose to ride through the city in order to ________.| A．see some places for the last time | B．show she was familiar with the city |
| C．let the driver earn more money | D．reach the destination on time |
| A．wanted to help her | B．shut off the meter by mistake |
| C．had received her payment in advance | D．was in a hurry to take other passengers |
| A．Giving is always a pleasure. |
| B．People should respect each other. |
| C．People should learn to appreciate others’ concern |
| D．An act of kindness can bring people great joy |
3 . I was born in a poor community on the north side of Boston, US, raised by a single mother who didn’t finish 3rd grade, lived each day on food stamps and attended what the media called “the most dysfunctional (功能失调的) public school district”. Not many people expected much of me, so I had to expect.
On my 13th birthday, I bought a poster of Harvard to hang in my room. Being at Harvard became what I dreamt about. Even if my electricity was cut off, I still woke up at 5:30, because I knew that my poster of Harvard was still hanging only two feet away from me.
Reminding myself of my goal each day made it easy to say no to the same choices I saw my peers making, because those paths wouldn’t have had me closer to my goal. Being poor could not take away my power to decide what I choose to do with my day. The poster gave me the courage to send emails to about 50 Harvard students to ask for feedback on my application essays; it gave me the energy to study just one more hour on my SATs when my friends were asleep; and it gave me the determination to submit just one more scholarship application when 180 others had already turned me down.
Every day, I could feel myself getting closer and closer to my goal as my writing got better, my SAT score increased, and my scholarship checks started coming in. Finally, an email arrived from Harvard. The first word was “Congratulations!” A month later, Harvard flew me up to visit the campus where for the first time I stepped onto my dreaming land.
Who you are today is the result of the decisions you made yesterday, and who you will be tomorrow will be the result of the choices you make today. Who do you want to be tomorrow?
1. What can we learn about the author from the first two paragraphs?| A．All people expected too much of him. |
| B．He grew up in a happy family. |
| C．He accepted the greatest education. |
| D．He had high expectation of himself. |
| A．He spent more time preparing for the exams. |
| B．He learnt from his peers from time to time. |
| C．He often wrote feedbacks on others’ essays. |
| D．He turned to his teacher when facing problems. |
| A．Intelligent and humorous. | B．Generous and selfless. |
| C．Determined and hardworking. | D．Courageous and friendly. |
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．Perseverance can help realize your dream. |
| C．Easier said than done. |
| D．It’s never too late to study. |
4 . During the outbreak of Corona-virus, people have got creative with ways to get everyday tasks done. Maria Botero, a resident and business owner in Medellín, Colombia is one of those out-of-the-box thinkers who has a new system in place to go about addressing her day to day workload. Owner of a local mini-market called E1 Porvenir, Botero has sought the help of her dog, Eros, to complete deliveries to some of their regular customers.
Eros, an eight-year-old chocolate Labrador, has been with the Botero family for several years now. Before she met Eros, Maria was uncertain to get a dog. However, her son’s repeated demands finally persuaded her to make up her mind. They welcomed Eros into their lives, and he’s been part of the family ever since.
When they opened their mini-market four years ago, the Boteros would bring Eros along for their daily deliveries. Thanks to a big brain and lots of treats, Eros gradually learned the names of some of their regular customers. When told someone’s name that he’s familiar with, he’s able to make his way to the person’s home alone. When the COVID-19 pandemic (流行病) got bad in Colombia and the government began restricting citizens’ ability to go out and buy groceries freely, Maria knew it was time to put Eros’ skills to good use.
Climbing the hilly neighborhood of Tulipanes with the handle of a basket held tightly in his mouth, Eros completes deliveries on a daily basis. Once he arrives at his destination, the customers know that tipping in the form of treats and lots of pats is a must. He’s such a good boy, after all! Inside the basket, Maria leaves a receipt for the goods delivered. Customers can pay via a simple online transfer.
1. Why did Maria accept Eros?| A．She wanted to satisfy her son. | B．She was a pet lover. |
| C．She tried to turn to him for help. | D．She needed his company. |
| A．He welcomes familiar customers. | B．He delivers goods to regular customers. |
| C．He collects receipts from the new customers. | D．He entertains customers with newly-learned skills. |
| A．He was once a pet of a customer’s. | B．He usually went to people’s homes for treats alone. |
| C．He carried shopping baskets for Maria before. | D．He used to follow Maria around the neighborhood. |
| A．They leave tips in Eros’ basket. |
| B．They introduce their pets to Eros. |
| C．They show their love and satisfaction to Eros. |
| D．They express willingness to pay for Eros’ service. |
After visiting family in Rutland, Tay, together with her three-year-old son and his “favourite companion”, a cuddly toy monkey, caught the train to go back to their home in Bristol.
As they switched trains at Birmingham New Street station, Tay realized that the monkey had been left behind. Her son, she said, was heartbroken.
“He just burst into tears,” Tay said. “He just kept asking ’Where’s my monkey?’ I told him ‘it’s just like playing hide and seek’ and reassured him that lots of kind people were looking for the monkey and the postman would send it back.”
Tay called Network Rail but it was too late, and the CrossCountry train had already left the station. Tay was not hopeful about a reunion but the monkey was a gift to her son on the day he was born, so she passed its sentimental (情感的) value to the train staff.
As she and her disappointed son made their way home, staff at various train companies worked together to track down the toy. They managed to locate the monkey. Tay was kept informed of the progress and told that, as it was by then too late that day, the monkey would be kept overnight in the Lost and Found at Birmingham. Determined to give the monkey a comfortable stay, staff at the station found it a hand-knitted sweater that had been previously used as a Christmas decoration. Next morning, the monkey, which usually slept with its owner every night, was on an early train from Birmingham to Bristol, where Tay was waiting.
“I collected it on my bicycle and brought it home. I just said to my son ’guess what I’ve got for you’ and pulled it out my bag. ” She added that the monkey’s new sweater had been a “lovely surprise” and the railway logo on there reminded them of the journey it made.
In total, four train companies helped the monkey home and it covered an extra 619 miles. Tay said, “The monkey’s been with my son ever since and we are keeping it close, so no more adventures for it in the future.”
1. What was the son’s reaction when he found the monkey lost?2. How did the mother comfort her son?
3. Why was the monkey precious to the boy?
4. What added to the pleasure of their reunion with the monkey?
5. What qualities do you think the railway staff have?
6 . Dinh Thu, a Vietnamese (越南的) woman, was fascinated by the Chinese language and culture since childhood and she pursued Chinese as her major in university. After graduation, Dinh entered a Chinese waste incineration (焚化) power plant in Vienam as a translator.
At first, the tough working environment made Dinh unsure how long she could do the job. But the demanding environment was not her only challenge. Dinh soon found out that she had to be an expert in the field of garbage disposal (处理). “The biggest challenge was the translation of technical terms, many of which I couldn’t understand at the time,” Dinh said. “Luckily, whenever I ran into words or expressions that I wasn’t familiar with and couldn’t look up myself, I would ask my Chinese colleagues. They were always eager to help.”
Hu Changbing, the manager of the Vienam branch, has worked with Dinh for over four years. “I discovered that Dinh has this special ability — no matter how difficult a task, she could finish it effectively,” Hu said.
In Dinh’s words, her work belief was to complete whatever boss gave her and provide a satisfactory outcome. She didn’t mention the fact that, to complete certain tasks, she would make dozens of phone calls and sometimes even make multiple trips to talk to someone in person. Her efforts and contributions were appreciated by her superior.
The waste incineration power plant has significantly promoted the sustainable development. Dinh is very proud to have contributed to this project. “I hope to improve my information research and negotiation skills in the future and to further explore the Vietnamese market with my colleagues.”
1. What can we learn about Dinh from the first paragraph?| A．She once worked in China. | B．She was positive about her future. |
| C．She studied environment in university. | D．She was interested in the Chinese language. |
| A．Being unfamiliar with Chinese culture. | B．Unbearable working environment. |
| C．The translation of technical terms. | D．Tough competition from colleagues. |
| A．To prove Dinh’s ability. | B．To promote Dinh’s determination. |
| C．To show Hu’s kindness. | D．To express Hu’s expectation. |
| A．Warm-hearted and careful. | B．Experienced and creative. |
| C．Hard-working and modest. | D．Learned and helpful. |
7 . For many years, Croatian-American recording artist Nenad Bach toured the world performing with famous musicians like Bono and Pavarotti. Everything came to a stop in 2010, however, when Nenad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease — a progressive disease that affects a person’s movement.
“I love music,” he said. “When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2010, I didn’t know what it was. Five years later, I couldn’t even play the guitar.”
One day, a friend of Nenad’s asked him to play ping-pong with him, and Nenad said yes. The effects were immediate and positive: he woke up the next day filled with a “desire to live”, and his physical and mental issues had improved. Encouraged, he kept playing.
For months he told everyone around him about how ping-pong was helping his Parkinson’s, but his praise fell on deaf ears. Finally, he took matters into his own hands and started hosting Ping Pong Parkinson’s events at the Westchester Table Tennis Center in Pleasantville, New York. Once the events attracted enough attention, he started an organization called Ping Pong Parkinson (PPP) in March 2017.
PPP hopes to encourage people living with Parkinson’s to play ping-pong for its benefits. In addition to promoting social connectivity, PPP also says that it increases neuroplasticity (神经可塑性) which creates new neural pathways in the brain. Nenad has seen evidence of this with his own eyes many times in the past years. He said that their “facial expression changes from when they arrive until they leave. In addition, some people start walking again.”
Nenad has made spreading the word about the power of ping-pong his new life’s work! He hopes others will take up the sport and see the same improvements he’s enjoyed since the first time he picked up a paddle (乒乓球拍).
1. What happened to Nenad in 2015?| A．His disease got worse. | B．He learned to perform. |
| C．He began to play the guitar. | D．His acting journey ended. |
| A．Organizing social events. | B．Taking his mind off his work. |
| C．Setting up Ping Pong Parkinson. | D．Playing ping-pong with his friend. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Favorable. | C．Uninterested. | D．Curious. |
| A．Nenad’s fighting against Parkinson |
| B．The benefits of playing ping-pong |
| C．The severity of Parkinson’s disease |
| D．The sporting experience of Nenad |
8 . We didn’t always live on Mango Street. Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor, and before that we lived on Keeler. Before Keeler it was Paulina, and before that I can’t remember. But what I remember most is moving a lot. Each time it seemed there’d be one more of us. By the time we got to Mango Street we were six—Mama, Papa, Carlos, Kiki, my sister Nenny and me.
The house on Mango Street is ours, and we don’t have to pay rent to anybody, or share the yard with the people downstairs, or be careful not to make too much noise, and there isn’t a landlord striking the ceiling with a broom. But even so, it’s not the house we’d thought we’d get.
We had to leave the flat on Loomis quick. The water pipes broke and the landlord wouldn’t fix them because the house was too old. We had to leave fast. We were using the washroom next door and carrying water over in empty milk gallons. That’s why Mama and Papa looked for a house, and that’s why we moved into the house on Mango Street, far away, on the other side of town.
They always told us that one day we would move into a house, a real house that would be ours for always so we wouldn’t have to move each year. And our house would have running water and pipes that worked. And inside it would have real stairs, not hallway stairs, but stairs inside like the houses on TV. And we’d have a basement and at least three washrooms so when we took a bath we wouldn’t have to tell everybody. Our house would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence. This was the house Papa talked about when he held a lottery ticket and this was the house Mama dreamed up in the stories she told us before we went to bed.
But the house on Mango Street is not the way they told it at all. It’s small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath. Bricks are crumbling (坍塌、崩裂) in places, and the front door is so swollen (肿胀) you have to push hard to get in. There is no front yard, only four little elms (榆树) the city planted by the curb. Our back is a small garage for the car we don’t own yet and a small yard that looks smaller between the two buildings on either side. There are stairs in our house, but they’re ordinary hallway stairs, and the house has only one washroom. Everybody has to share a bedroom—Mama and Papa, Carlos and Kiki, me and Nenny.
Once when we were living on Loomis, a nun (修女) from my school passed by and saw me playing out front. The laundromat (投币自助洗衣店) downstairs had been boarded up (封住) because it had been robbed two days before and the owner had painted on the wood YES WE’RE OPEN so as not to lose business.
“Where do you live?” She asked.
“There,” I said pointing up to the third floor.
“You live there?” There. I had to look to where she pointed—the third floor, the paint peeling, wooden bars Papa had nailed on the windows so we wouldn’t fall out. “You live there?” The way she said it made me feel like nothing. “There. I lived there.” I nodded.
I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isn’t it. The house on Mango Street isn’t it. For the time being, Mama says. Temporary, says Papa. But I know how those things go.
1. The size of the family ______ each time they moved house.| A．rose and fell | B．slimmed down | C．mounted up | D．stayed the same |
| A．Spaciousness. | B．Convenience. | C．Comfort. | D．Quietness. |
| A．size | B．garage | C．yard | D．stairs |
| A．I believed that we were less likely to leave Mango Street for a new house any time soon. |
| B．The conversation I had with the nun raised my self-esteem. |
| C．The laundromat’s owner set up a notice board by design for promotion. |
| D．We had to leave the flat on Loomis because we were suffering from a leaking pipe in the washroom next door. |
9 . Jenna had a secret. Her mum is the head teacher of her school. She didn’t want anyone to know this as her classmates would think that she got special treatment. Not even her friends knew about it. When her friends asked to go to her house, she just refused and said that her parents didn’t allow her to invite guests.
“Bring Your Mum to School” day was coming. Jenna usually told her friends in the past that her mum was out of town. “What does your mum do?” her friends asked. “She is a researcher, so she travels a lot.” Funnily enough, Jenna’s mum was always at “Bring Your Mum to School” day at her high school. A teacher once asked her, “Do you have a daughter?” Jenna’s mum said, “Yes, she is in college now.”
Jenna was very close to getting an A in her calculus (微积分) class. There was only one exam left. Jenna would have to get 100% on the exam to push her grade to an A. The teacher offered the students extra credits (附加分) if they brought their mum to the class on the “Bring Your Mum to School” day. Jenna told her mum that she wanted to tell everyone about their relationship. Jenna’s mum agreed. On “Bring Your Mum to School” day, Jenna brought her mum to her calculus class. She felt her heart was beating fast. She was afraid her classmates would not talk to her because she had told a lie. “Hi, our head teacher. What brings you here?” asked the calculus teacher. “I’m Jenna’s mum,” she answered. All the students in the classroom were surprised and they told Jenna she had a cool mother.
1. Why did Jenna refuse to take her friends to her home?| A．She tried to hide her mum’s identity. | B．She didn’t like her friends. |
| C．Her parents didn’t welcome guests. | D．Her house was too far away. |
| A．She is quite funny. | B．She likes travelling. |
| C．She lied about her daughter. | D．She dislikes the school day. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Proud. | C．Worried. | D．Calm. |
| A．Jenna’s Classmates | B．Jenna’s Secret | C．An Interesting Lesson | D．A Head Teacher |
10 . Christian Liden decided that he would not pick out a ring from a jeweler’s like most other people. He hatched an ambitious plan to create a personalized ring for his future wife, Desirae Glovis. Therefore, he made up his mind to go into the wild to find his own materials: the diamond, the gold and the accompanying jewels.
So, in May 2022, Liden told Clovis that he and Josh Tucker, his best friend, were heading out on a camp to Yellowstone. Instead, he and Tucker made for Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas, which is set on a volcanic crater. The park is one of the few places in the world where the public is welcome to search for real diamonds and can keep them for free. Since its opening, only 1 in 10,000 park visitors is lucky enough to find a diamond that weighs a carat or more. Still, he was up for the challenge.
On their way, Liden and Tucker stopped in Helena, Montana, to mine for accompanying jewels to add to the diamond they hoped to score. In Arkansas, the pair paid $10 each to get into the park and spent almost three days searching through the volcanic dirt.
On the third morning, Liden suddenly spotted something reflecting light in the sands. “I was so excited that I started shaking.” he said, “It was oily and shiny, and we both just knew it was a Diamond.”
It was confirmed that Liden had found a 2.2-carat yellow diamond. Similarly-sized diamonds go for $2,500 to $20,000 per carat, depending on quality, color and cut. But the value wasn’t what was important to Liden.
When he pulled out the diamond and got on his knee upon his return, Clovis was amazed. “I knew that he was going to propose someday,” she said, “but I certainly didn’t expect this.”
1. What was Christian Liden’s ambitious plan?| A．He planned to hunt for a natural diamond to create a ring. |
| B．He would get a personalized ring from a jeweler’s. |
| C．He decided to make a ring together with his future wife. |
| D．He intended his ring to consist of various jewels. |
| A．The public was allowed to keep any diamond found there. |
| B．They were likely to find more than just natural diamonds. |
| C．The majority of park visitors had got their ideal diamonds. |
| D．It was the only place that charged jewel hunters nothing. |
| A．He had got the largest diamond in the park’s history. |
| B．The value of the diamond was above his expectations. |
| C．The quality and color of his diamond ranked among the best. |
| D．He was lucky to acquire the diamond for his dream ring. |
| A．True love stories never have endings. |
| B．Absence makes two hearts grow fonder. |
| C．Love shows more in action than in words. |
| D．A life lived in love will never be boring. |
