2 . More excited than ever, Benjamin Giroux, a 10-year- old boy with autism (自闭症), came home from school on April 7. To celebrate National Poetry Month, his fifth-grade teacher asked her students to write a poem about themselves and every sentence should begin with an “I”.

Benjamin couldn’t wait to start writing his poem, so he sat down and didn’t look up until he finished it. He showed the poem to his parents, who immediately choked up.

“I am odd (奇怪的). I am new. ” Benjamin wrote in the poem. “I wonder if you are too. I hear voices in the air. I see you don’t and that’s not fair. I feel like a boy in outer space. I touch the stars and feel out of place.”

“At first, we feel hurt that he feels lonely, misunderstood and odd at school,” Mr Giroux said. “As the poem goes on, we realize that he understands that he’s odd and that so is everyone else in their own way. This is what Benjamin wants everyone to know.”

Benjamin was supposed to read his poem aloud to the class the following day, but upon waking up that morning, he refused to go to school and stayed at home. He didn’t think his poem was any good, so his dad posted it on the Internet in the hope of getting some encouraging comments from families and friends. When the National Autism Association saw the poem, they posted it on their page, where thousands of strangers shared how much the poem inspired them. The family has heard from hundreds of parents thanking Benjamin for showing how their own kids may be feeling at school.

1. Why did Benjamin feel excited on April 7?

A．He wrote a good poem.	B．He was praised at school.
C．He had a poem to finish.	D．He had good news to share.

2. How did Benjamin’s parents feel upon reading the poem?

A．Touched.

B．Worried.

C．Surprised.

D．Sad.

3. What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Everyone has odd hobbies.	B．Everyone is odd as they are.
C．Everyone is worth respecting.	D．Everyone has their own lifestyle.

4. What happened to Benjamin’s poem after being posted on the Internet?

A．It received many thanks.

B．It caused a heated debate.

C．It was read aloud in his class.

D．It changed parents’ ideas about raising kids.

3 . As I watched my son Nathan play basketball for his high school team, I was starting to feel sorry for myself and for him. His team was facing adversity on the court and he was playing in a hostile environment-it was the opponents’ home gym filled with their supporters, and Nathan’s team was trailing (落后) for three quarters (节) of the game. As for me, I had been fired from my job earlier in the day.

During my drive home, I kept telling myself that I would find work again in a short time-I am confident in my experience and abilities. This is the same belief as I always try to teach my son.

The basketball game entered the fourth quarter with Nathan’s team still trailing. I saw the determination on his face, as well as his teammates’ faces as they fought back to not only tie with the other team, but then go ahead by three points. Then, a player from the other team made an unbelievable shot to tie the score again. With the game in a tie and few seconds on the clock, Nathan found himself with the ball. With skill and confidence, he proceeded to make a basket with a defender hanging his hands all over him. The defender was warned for a foul (犯规).

As Nathan stood at the free-throw line preparing for a shot that would make his team one point ahead, I saw the determination on his face again. There was no room for self- doubt. Nathan was able to tune out all the distractions and nail the free throw with such skill. It was as if he had done it a thousand times.

As I sat there, my heart bursting with pride. It dawned on me that I had taught him perseverance in the face of adversity, and he had just taught me the same lesson. That brief moment of self-doubt and feeling sorry for myself was blown away by the actions of my son on the basketball court. He would play in the finals, but it didn’t matter if he would win or lose. At this moment, we both won.

1. Why did the author feel sorry?

A．He had made a big mistake in his work.

B．He used to be too busy to accompany Nathan.

C．Nathan’s team was too weak to compete in the game.

D．He and Nathan were both going through a hard time.

2. Which of the following words can best describe the author?

A．Self-centred and pessimistic.	B．Self-confident and optimistic.
C．Hard-working and intelligent.	D．Easy-going and warm-hearted.

3. What does the underlined phrase “tune out” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Ignore.

B．Focus.

C．Create.

D．Receive.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Father and Son in Life	B．A Lesson in Life and Basketball
C．It Matters Whether to Win or Lose	D．Life Goes Just like Playing Basketball

4 . When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours. Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Now, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast.

On that Fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense that she could hardly see her support boats. Against the freezing cold water, she struggled on-hour after hour-while millions watched on national television.

In one of the boats alongside Florence, her mother and her trainer offered encouragement. They told her it wasn’t much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. However, with only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out.

Still warming her chilled body several hours later, she told a reporter, “Look, I’m not excusing myself, but if I had seen land, I might have made it.” It was not tiredness or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal.

Two months later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, overshadowing the men’s record by two hours!

1. What can we learn about that fourth of July morning in 1952?

A．The thick fog cleared by mid-morning.

B．Chadwick managed to swim the Catalina Channel.

C．The support boats accompanied Chadwick all the way.

D．A live broadcast of Chadwick’s swim was watched on TV.

2. What did Florence Chadwick think was the reason for her failure?

A．Sharks threatened her life.

B．She was completely worn out.

C．The chilly water made her body numb.

D．The destination was out of sight due to the fog.

3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “intact” in Paragraph 5?

A．Changed.

B．Undamaged.

C．Weakened.

D．Unexplored.

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To explain why Chadwick failed in the first attempt.

B．To stress the importance of picturing a clear goal in the mind.

C．To introduce the process of Chadwick’s swimming the Catalina Channel.

D．To report Chadwick was the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel.

5 . 【课本改编题】
Read the title, background and three diaries quickly. Then find out the main ideas referring to the following table.

Basic information about the expedition
Time	1914.10.31→1915.11.21→1916.5.20
Destination	To Antarctica
Leader	Sir Ernest Shackleton
The author’s name	Perce Blackborow
The ship	Endurance

A SUCCESSFUL FAILURE

Perce Blackborow joined an expedition with Sir Ernest Shackleton to Antarctica on the ship Endurance in 1914. Shackleton was one of the most famous explorers of his day and it was considered a great honour to be part of his expeditions. Below are some of Blackborow’s diary entries.

31 Oct 1914

… Well, it so happened that one morning I bought a newspaper and read the advertisement about the Antarctic expedition.

An expedition to the South Pole with the great Sir Ernest Shackleton — this is the adventure that I have been dreaming of. And I was ready for it. At the age of 19, I am fit and full of vigour. However, when I applied to join the expedition, Shackleton turned me down because he thought I was too young and wasn’t qualified. But I was so enthusiastic about the idea of going along with them that I secretly went aboard his ship, the Endurance, and hid in a small cupboard. Unfortunately, three days after we set off I was discovered. Shackleton did not want to turn back so he offered me a job, but only after he promised me, “If anyone has to be eaten, then you will be the first!” He assigned me to be a steward, and I now serve meals for twenty-eight men, three times a day.

How everyone will envy me when I come back and tell them about the amazing places I have been to!

21 Nov 1915

The journey has not been easy. Endurance became stuck in the ice as we approached Antarctica. The ice froze around us and we were well and truly stuck! We saw the ship get crushed by the ice. And when the ship sank, our hearts sank with it.

Before we abandoned the ship, Shackleton calmly called us together and told us to rescue our most essential supplies — the small boats, our food, the cook stove, candles, clothes, and blankets. This was no time to panic. We were not allowed to take most of our personal belongings, and Shackleton himself threw away all his gold. But to our surprise, he allowed Hussey to keep his banjo. Hussey often plays it to keep our spirits up.

We are now camped on the ice and we have been managing to survive, but spring is coming, and the ice will soon begin to melt.

20 May 1916

We have been struggling for days, but things on Elephant Island are going from bad to worse. We are now crowded together under one of our boats on the rocky shore of this miserable place. Soon after we arrived, Shackleton left us to find help on South Georgia Island, 1,320 kilometres away — the voyage was too dangerous and difficult for all of us to make it in our small boats. If Shackleton fails, will we have any hope of rescue? No. No navy in the world ever stops at Elephant Island, and no one else knows that we are here.

I feel low. It’s cold and windy. The island has no plants. Sometimes we are able to catch a seal or a penguin to eat. Otherwise, there is no food. I try to think of happier things: decent food, warm and dry clothes, a cosy bedroom, sunny days, and my mother’s face… However, these happy memories are soon interrupted by a sudden cold rush of air.

I shouted, “Shut the door!”

“Hold on now, Perce. Don’t you go turning into another Tom,” came the reply. “We’ve caught another penguin, so it’s penguin soup tonight!”

Bless Frank Wild, the kindest man there is after our leader, Ernest Shackleton. How could I become as selfish and bad-tempered as Thomas Orde-Lees!

Without Frank and Ernest, we’d all be dead by now. Their genuine concern for others, their perseverance, and their resolve fill me with hope.

Perhaps there is a chance we will return home, after all.

Diary	Date	Main idea
1	1914.10.31	The first diary is about how     1    .
2	1915.11.21	The second diary is about how     2    .
3	1916.5.20	The third diary mainly describes     3    .

6 . We watched as Shackleton and the boat sailed away from Elephant Island. It was easy to imagine the danger ahead of them. Would they ever return to find us? What might happen to them? What if they were delayed? We felt so alone and desperate. But it was not for long. There was nothing like a good dinner and some music to cheer us up.

Life fell into a regular pattern. Staying alive took all our time and energy. For example, we needed water, and Elephant Island had none. We found that we could melt ice from the ocean and drink the water from it. But how could we make fire? There were no trees growing on Antarctica and no oil, so the only fuel we could use was animal fat. This gave off oily, black smoke, but it stayed burning even in strong winds.

Food was also a problem, as we did not find any vegetables or fruit on the island. One of our group members, Lionel Greenstreet, noted in his diary about how bored he was with the meals: “The food now is pretty well all meat of sea creatures.” If it weren’t for sea animals, we would all starve. As a chef, it was my duty to cook, so I tried to vary the meals in whatever way I could. But it was difficult.

We had to be careful not to go outside too often, as the changing temperatures could make us ill. It was almost as dangerous to become too hot from wearing too many clothes as to become too cold from wearing too few. The sweat could freeze very quickly. Many of us also became ill from the black smoke of the animal fat we burnt for our fires. It damaged our eyes and burnt our lungs.

The twenty-two of us lived like this in the cold for four months. Our discipline and team spirit kept us optimistic and helped us deal with our fears in a positive and successful way. We also celebrated our birthdays, festivals, and even the times when we caught a sea animal. This was an episode in my life that I would never forget.

When we were finally rescued, we felt such relief and joy that many of us could not hide our tears. We were at last free to go home to warm beds, good food, and the care of our family and friends. Our optimism and faith in Shackleton had helped us persevere in staying alive. And he paid us back by his commitment to save us from a slow but painful death.

1. What did the men eat and drink on the island?
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. What were the dangers of living on the island?
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. How did the men stay in good spirits while waiting to be rescued?
_____________________________________________________________________________
4. What do you think were the key reasons for their survival?
_____________________________________________________________________________
5. If you were one of the men on Elephant Island, would you have trusted Shackleton? Why or why not?
_____________________________________________________________________________
6. Summarizing the key elements of the story.

Who	________
What	________
Where	________
When	________
Why	________
How	________

8 . I was the only kid in college with a reason to go to the mail box, because my mother never believed in email, in Facebook, in texting or cell phones. I was literally waiting by the mailbox to get a letter with a warmest comfort from her.

So when I moved to New York and got depressed, I did the only thing I could think of. I wrote those same kinds of letters like my mother for strangers, and tucked them all over the city: in cafes, in libraries, and even in the subway. I blogged about those letters and promised if asked for a hand-written letter, I would write one.

Overnight, my inbox became this harbor of heartbreak — a single mother in Sacramento, a girl being bullied in Kansas, a 22-year-old immigrant, all asking me to write them and give them a reason to wait by the mailbox. And this is how I initiated the act The World Needs More Love Letters.

Today I run a global organization fueled by those trips to the mailbox. It is a miracle. But the thing about these letters is that most of them have been written by people brought up in a paperless world where some best conversations happen on a screen. We have learned to diary our pain onto Facebook, and we speak swiftly in twitter.

Therefore, I’ve been carrying this mail crate (大木箱) with me these days, which is a magical icebreaker. So I get to tell total strangers about a woman whose husband was traumatized (受精神创伤) from war, and how she left love letters throughout the house saying, “Come back to me.” And a man, who had decided to take his life, slept safely with a stack of letters just beneath his pillow, handwritten by strangers who were there for him.

These stories convince me that letter-writing will never need to be about efficiency, because it is an art now, all of it: the signing, the scripting, the mailing.

1. Why did the author share her experience in college?

A．To show her care for her family.	B．To convey her love for writing letters.
C．To express her feelings attached to letters.	D．To prove her consistency in writing letters.

2. What caused the author to launch the act?

A．She advocated the paperless lifestyle.	B．She intended to provide professional aid.
C．She tried to improve her communication skills.	D．She aimed to give emotional support with letters.

3. Why does the author call the mail crate “a magical icebreaker”?

A．It cures people of mental diseases.	B．It serves as a conversation starter.
C．It has magic power to melt ice.	D．It empowers people to be brave.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Family Letters Are Priceless	B．Love for Writing Never Declines
C．World Needs More Love Letters	D．Hand-written Letters Improve Efficiency

9 . One cold morning in early 2015, Lauren Passell was on her way to work. She’d been training hard for an upcoming marathon, and was limping slightly from a pain in her hip. She figured it was nothing serious. But it turned out to be a hairline stress fracture (发际应力性骨折).

So, when Passell slipped on the icy New York City sidewalk, she broke her hip. As she tried to get her bearings, a stranger emerged from the crowd and knelt beside her.

“All I remember is seeing her kind face, all bundled up, with a big hat and scarf,” Passell recalled. “She pushed everyone out of the way and said, ‘I’ve got this.’”

The woman introduced herself as Sharon Evans. As Evans helped Passell up, all Passell could think about was that she needed to get to work. But she was in terrible pain, and could barely stand. Seeing this, Evans told Passell to stay put while she called a cab.

Once the cab arrived, Evans got in with her. Passell tried to tell her that it wasn’t necessary. But Evans insisted. When the cab pulled up to the hospital, Evans took charge again.

She said, “You know what, I’m going to get the wheelchair for you and I’ll wheel you in.”

Evans didn’t just go into the hospital with Passell. She helped her fill out the paperwork, and even took Passell to the bathroom. Each time, Passell tried to persuade Evans to leave, to get to work. And each time, Evans refused.

Once it was time for Passell to be seen by doctors, Evans left. It turned out that Passell’s condition was grave. The doctors told her that she could have suffered due to complications from blood clots if she had not been sent there earlier.

Passell not only recovered, but ran a half marathon the next year. She says she owes this to Evans and that she hopes one day she could pick someone off the sidewalk.

1. What caused Passell’s pain in the hip according to Paragraph 1?

A．The old injury.	B．The work stress.
C．The cold weather.	D．The intensive running.

2. What does the underlined word “grave” in Paragraph 8 mean?

A．Serious.

B．Complex.

C．Inspiring.

D．Stable.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Evans?

A．Active and energetic.	B．Reliable and creative.
C．Persistent and kind-hearted.	D．Cooperative and professional.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Passell became a close friend with Evans.	B．Passell hoped to pass the kindness down.
C．Passell should pay Evans some money.	D．Passell won a medal in the half marathon.

10 . At age 10, McCullough got a glimpse of her dream job. It sparkled in the eyes of the Packard Children’s nurses who cared for her brother Matthew, who had brain cancer. As a child, McCullough spent hours at her brother’s bedside. “I looked up to the nurses. I found their unconditional commitment to my brother’s care remarkable," McCullough says.

As a young girl, McCullough practiced nursing by caring for her brother, a desire born out of her intense love for him. She would rub his back, bring him drinks, and even help adjust his lines. She was a natural. Her parents said that she was very caring and always put people first from a young age.

When Matthew passed away, McCullough became even more committed to becoming a nurse. She took steps through the years to make her dream come true. In high school, she volunteered at cancer centers and hospitals. “My becoming a nurse is 100% in honor of Matt. I felt the need to channel my grief and turn that tragic moment into something positive," McCullough says.

Over time, McCullough realized that she didn’t just want to be a nurse. She wanted to be a pediatric oncology (儿科肿瘤) nurse at Packard Children’s. McCullough wanted to give back to the hospital that had done so much for her brother.

Despite feeling like school never came easy, McCullough persisted and got into a respected nursing school. She feels like she worked 10 times harder than other nursing students at the university. She traded going out and spending time with friends for the library.

In college, each step brought McCullough closer to her dream. She worked as a nursing assistant at Stanford Health Care for adults with cancer. Then, she transferred to Packard Children’s and worked as a nursing assistant in the Pediatric Transplant Center.

Today, She’s a nurse on the same unit that cared for her brother years ago. She is one of those nurses she admired so much as a child. She finds the time, even on very busy days, to truly be there for patients and families to make them feel loved and welcomed.

1. What makes McCullough want to become a nurse?

A．Her love for her brother.	B．The pain of cancer patients.
C．Her natural ability of nursing.	D．The volunteering experience.

2. What happened during McCullough’s college life?

A．She volunteered at cancer centers.

B．She worked harder than at high school.

C．She acted as a nursing assistant for children.

D．She spent much time with friends in the library.

3. What words can be used to describe McCullough?

A．Changeable and respectable.

B．Hardworking and demanding.

C．Professional and adventurous.

D．Considerate and persistent.

4. What can be learned from the text?

A．God helps those who help themselves.

B．Where there is a will there is a way.

C．Behind bad luck comes good luck.

D．He who laughs last laughs best.