1 . One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap (包装).
On September 11th, 1958, Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is.” What an honour! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it.Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”, “pitiful”, and “dying”, which sounded ominous.
Christmas was coming. “Don’t expect any presents this year,” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room.“If your baby brother lives, that’ll be Christmas enough.” As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I’d never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He’s all right?” He hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we can bring Richard home!”
“Thank God!” I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!
1. What happened to the author on September 11th, 1958?| A．He got a baby brother. |
| B．He got a Christmas gift. |
| C．He became four years old. |
| D．He received a doll. |
| A．Impossible. | B．Boring. |
| C．Difficult. | D．Fearful. |
| A．Excitement. | B．Happiness. |
| C．Sadness. | D．Disappointment. |
| A．A sad Christmas day. |
| B．Life with a lovely baby. |
| C．A special Christmas gift. |
| D．Memories of a happy family. |
The morning of my daughter’s first school play I had an important business meeting. I went to the play, getting a seat in the front row. I even brought my mum along in case it overran. But, not wanting to be late for my appointment, I moved quietly to the back. My daughter, who was just three at the time, noticed my empty seat and started to cry. Outside the doorway, I heard one mum say loudly and angrily, “She’s gone to work.” I watched as some of the others rolled their eyes. My stomach went cold.
It’s OK for a mum to have a job — as long as it’s part-time, fits around the school run or means she doesn’t have to leave the school play early or fly to the other side of the world now and again to earn a living. During the decade I’ve been a working mum I’ve received numerous critical comments from women about my work choices, but I think running my own business and travelling with my work when I can (while still taking my daughter to school most days and making pretty much every show or event) is setting a good example to my daughter. It shows her that it is possible to succeed at a time when women in many professions find it harder than men to reach the top and get less pay.
But I often feel I’ m in the minority. Do the women who roll their eyes at other women who leave the school play early or show up late to parents’ evening because their meetings overrun really believe females should only be in part-time, flexible work that fits around their children? I think it’s time for women to support each other’s career decisions.
1. What does the text mainly talk about?(no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably mean?(no more than 25 words)
3. What may the author’s daughter learn from her working mother?(no more than 30 words)
4. What kink of job should a mother have according to other mothers who rolled their eyes? (no more than 5 words)
5. Do you agree with the author? Give your reasons.(no more than 25 words)
3 . My mother left the field of education formally after I was born. However, she did not leave it
On my first day of kindergarten, I was excited, but
There have been many napkin notes since the
This year, my mother
So I gave her a
As she opened up her “You can do it!” napkin note from me, tears began to run down her face. When her eyes met mine, I saw she
| A．finally | B．completely | C．clearly | D．naturally |
| A．lucky | B．crazy | C．helpful | D．fun |
| A．admitted | B．allowed | C．advised | D．invited |
| A．tired | B．shocked | C．nervous | D．bored |
| A．lunch box | B．school bag | C．pencil box | D．toy bag |
| A．thanked | B．loved | C．missed | D．accepted |
| A．spent | B．began | C．ended | D．won |
| A．same | B．recent | C．best | D．first |
| A．read | B．returned | C．sent | D．introduced |
| A．Because | B．Although | C．If | D．Unless |
| A．continued | B．escaped | C．changed | D．reduced |
| A．teachings | B．warnings | C．choices | D．dreams |
| A．suggest | B．offered | C．promised | D．decided |
| A．charge | B．memory | C．favor | D．control |
| A．show | B．know | C．imagine | D．hope |
| A．book | B．degree | C．award | D．answer |
| A．gift | B．chance | C．guide | D．speech |
| A．washed | B．filled | C．packed | D．opened |
| A．pictures | B．replies | C．suggestion | D．writing |
| A．remembered | B．trusted | C．understood | D．believed |
4 . On one day my grandma died, I went for a walk to clear my mind. The small purse I carried with me was a gift from her. The bag only weighted several pounds but it felt like I was dragging heavy luggage.
As I was walking, I spotted Mary who gave me an excited hug. She asked how I was. “How are you” is a question that can turn meaningless or meaningful, depending on how you answer it. I considered going the meaningless route. Then I remembered that she is a friend from church. We once celebrated an activity together. Maybe I could lean on her for some comfort. I explained that my grandma died and I was feeling in bad shape emotionally.
Mary expressed kind regards. Then she asked the question everyone asks when you tell them someone died, “Were you two close?” It’s the main standard that determines the appropriate size someone’s sadness can take. The answer to this question depends on how someone defines closeness. I tend to feel close to people I can have heart-to-heart with. I nodded to Mary and said, “Yeah, we were.”
She nodded back, playing her role in the cultural script (剧本)we all know. Mary gathered information about the funeral arrangements, and then we parted. Seeing her was a catalyst (催化剂) to my quickly getting in touch with my sorrow. I cried loudly on the street directly.
Later that night I texted my friend Roger to tell him what had happened. I expected a text back with sympathy. Instead, the phone rang. Soon he was asking me what my favorite song was. While I hesitated, he started singing the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul.” He finished it and prayed for me over the phone. It really made me exhilarated. I felt that a heavy burden was removed. But I cried again because of the spiritual synchronization(同步). I didn’t share stories of my grandmother or try to explain my complicated emotions over the phone.
Then I realized that courtesy (客套话) is generally good practice, but it can’t compare to personalized, thoughtful communication. And that kind of pat statement really has no place if you want to make a real connection.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?| A．The author used to offer Mary advice to Mary. |
| B．The author and Mary enjoyed social activities. |
| C．The author and Mary often shared their secrets. |
| D．The author hesitated to turn to Mary for comfort. |
| A．judge how sad the author was |
| B．determine what sadness it was |
| C．prove that they were close friends |
| D．see if the author needed comfort |
| A．Mary decided to attend the funeral |
| B．the author felt touched to see Mary |
| C．the author got no real comfort from Mary |
| D．Mary felt helpless about relieving the author’s pain |
| A．Cheered me up | B．Made me satisfied |
| C．Let me down | D．Kept me down |
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| B．Spiritual communication is better than courtesy. |
| C．Crying is an effective way to ease people’s pain. |
| D．It’s hard to recover from the pain of losing a loved one. |
5 . Originally, I don’t think about getting older. Perhaps it’s because I like to keep busy and just don’t think about it.
I used to be a radio broadcaster and recently I was
One of them, it turns out, is
The thought of being dead doesn’t
| A．Therefore | B．However | C．Though | D．Meanwhile |
| A．believe | B．regret | C．prevent | D．consider |
| A．doubted | B．questioned | C．contacted | D．interviewed |
| A．pay | B．enjoy | C．intend | D．allow |
| A．similar | B．diverse | C．different | D．special |
| A．activity | B．custom | C．tradition | D．routine |
| A．chatting with | B．looking for | C．working with | D．cheering for |
| A．look up to | B．look out for | C．look down upon | D．look back at |
| A．permanently | B．relatively | C．accidentally | D．practically |
| A．show up | B．hold up | C．move about | D．hold on |
| A．worse still | B．what’s more | C．on the contrary | D．on the other hand |
| A．secretly | B．gradually | C．directly | D．suddenly |
| A．related | B．connected | C．bound | D．limited |
| A．independently | B．optimistically | C．comfortably | D．disappointedly |
| A．fed on | B．cared for | C．trained | D．educated |
| A．primitively | B．occasionally | C．instantly | D．rarely |
| A．understanding | B．deciding | C．knowing | D．guessing |
| A．surprise | B．help | C．bother | D．excite |
| A．nervous | B．sorry | C．help | D．great |
| A．tiresome | B．meaningless | C．interesting | D．upsetting |
6 . Joshua williams was five years old when something came into his heart that would change his life and the lives of thousands of others. His journey began with a $20 birthday gift from his grandmother. She said he could use it any way he wanted.
On his way to the mall that morning, the five-year-old began thinking about all the things he could buy with the money. Then, looking out of the car window, Joshua noticed a homeless man standing on the street corner. That moment changed his life forever. Joshua instantly gave the man his $20 bill in the hope that it would make a small difference.
With this gesture, Joshua discovered his life’s calling to help the needy. At just five years old, Joshua knew he would need help in order to make his dream — to wipe out hunger — a reality. He enlisted his family, and soon they were delivering meals to the homeless every Saturday. Joshua began to realize, however, that he needed a “bigger, better and easier way to distribute food.” He and his family came up with the idea to have the homeless community come to a centralized distribution point. On their first distribution day, Joshua and his team of helpers provided more than 300 families with food. They continued distributing groceries this way every month for two years.
With the success of his work, Joshua eventually created the Joshua’s Heart Foundation to continue his mission of feeding the homeless. Now, several years later, his foundation continues to provide food and cooking classes for needy families.
Joshua and his team have helped feed over 20,000 people over the past eight years and they’re still working to increase that number. Each bag of groceries represents a brighter day in the lives of these individuals and families, and it all began with one young person who saw a need and decided to make a difference.
1. Joshua’s grandma gave him a $20 bill to let him ______.| A．buy food for the homeless | B．help some people in need |
| C．celebrate his fifth birthday | D．buy a birthday cake for her |
| A．used to help others | B．was sympathetic |
| C．had little pocket money | D．was indifferent |
| A．He persuaded his family to help him. |
| B．He asked his family for advice. |
| C．He was encouraged by his family. |
| D．He disagreed with his family. |
| A．was created by Joshua and his teacher |
| B．organizes the homeless community |
| C．mainly offers education to the homeless |
| D．mainly offers food to needy people |
| A．Joshua grew up in a rich family |
| B．Joshua started the foundation at the age of five |
| C．Joshua would help more people in the future |
| D．more than 20,000 homeless people have taken cooking classes |
7 . Yesterday after work, the boss told me I was fired. When I walked along a riverbed sadly, I suddenly realized it was New Year’s Day, a day to start afresh.
I passed by a man holding his son, one or two years old. The baby’s face was in pure joy, and his innocent eyes were full of wonder. The simple sweetness of the baby made me moved.
Walking on, I saw a young couple repairing their bicycle. They smiled at me and said, “Happy New Year!” I smiled and wished them the same. It was a simple thing, but for a moment it brought me a sudden joy.
I kept walking, enjoying the cheerful singing of birds. With people around laughing out loud, an old woman immersed herself in her sewing. She didn’t seem either happy or sad. A feeling of timeless peace flowed through me and all fear of what the future might bring disappeared. I thanked her in my heart, and moved on.
As I reached home, I was filled with great thanks and hope for life, which took me a long time to find. Actually, happiness could be simple and easy. Now I knew whatever the New Year would bring, there would be joy and enough love to help me through the hard times we all had to face.
“Happy New Year!” I said to myself.
1. What did the writer’s boss tell him after work?| A．It was New Year’s Day. | B．He was fired. |
| C．He needed a day to relax. | D．He had a day off. |
| A．age | B．laughing | C．innocence | D．crying |
| A．repairing their bicycle | B．waiting for the writer |
| C．watching the passers-by | D．celebrating the New Year |
| A．Lucky. | B．Hopeless. | C．Fearful. | D．Thankful. |
| A．Greetings make people polite. | B．Happiness could be simple and easy. |
| C．Walking makes people energetic. | D．Friendship lies in getting together. |
8 . When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor, Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never invited us to play in his yard, but he was a very kind person. When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. He owned a large field and wanted to make it a forest.
The good doctor had some interesting ideas about planting trees. He never watered his new trees. Once I asked why, he said that watering plants spoiled them, and that if you watered them, each baby tree would grow weaker and weaker, so you had to make things difficult for them and pick out the weaker trees early on. He talked about how watering trees made for shallow (浅的）roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in search of water under the earth by themselves. Deep roots were very important. So he never watered his trees. He’d planted an oak and, instead of watering it every morning, he’d beat it with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Dr. Gibbs died several years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I watched him plant about twenty-five years ago. They’re very big and strong now. I planted some trees a few years back and carried water to them for a whole summer. After two years of caring too much, whenever a cold wind blows in, they shake a lot.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. Mostly I pray (祈祷) that their lives will be easy. But lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to face difficulties. There’s always a cold wind blowing somewhere, so what we need to do is to pray for roots that reach deep into the brave heart, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we could face it strongly and won’t be beaten down.
1. We know from the reading, the doctor ______.| A．didn’t know how to plant trees at all |
| B．had his own ways of planting trees |
| C．wasn’t good at his own medical job |
| D．had nothing to do but plant trees |
| A．some weak trees would be easily found out at the beginning |
| B．he would choose the weak trees to water earlier |
| C．the weak trees would be sent to his patients later |
| D．he would not plant weak trees so early anymore |
| A．beat all his trees with a rolled-up newspaper |
| B．often water his trees |
| C．took too much care of his trees |
| D．didn’t have a large field |
| A．his trees will be stronger than Dr. Gibbs' |
| B．his trees will not be beaten down |
| C．his sons will be better at planting trees |
| D．his sons will be able to face difficulties |
| A．Watering Trees |
| B．Growing Roots |
| C．Doctor and his Neighbor |
| D．Father and his Children |
9 . Terry Evanshen was one of Canadian football’s greatest receivers. He played every down as if it was his last. Though he had made great achievements, Terry’s memories of his playing days have been completely lost.
It was in the summer of 1988 after he retired from playing that his career in sales was taking off. One day in July, Terry, on his way home from work, had a terrible car accident. He was knocked unconscious, and within minutes he was rushed to the nearby hospital.
Three weeks later, he woke up. However, it became obvious that Terry’s injuries were far more serious than whatever damage had been done to his body. A lifetime of memories had been completely wiped clean. He had been all but reduced to the level of a baby; everything from his ability to talk and walk to his understanding of what it meant to be a husband and a father was all gone.
At age 44, Terry Evanshen would be starting all over again. Luckily he had the support of his family, helped by small victories and a renewed bond between him and his three daughters, for example, when they taught him how to play football again.
In 1992, his recovery really began to pick up steam. It has taken years to rebuild his shattered life. But today, more than 20 years since his playing days, Terry is a popular public speaker. He tells his inspiring story of perseverance and courage. “Never forget, we’re all in this game of life together. We will get to the finish line, one day at a time, one moment at a time, but celebrate the journey. Seize today, because yesterday is gone and is never coming back.” As the subject of the most watched Canadian movie of 2005, The Man Who Lost Himself, Evanshen says his family has been his most important treasure. He refuses to be a victim, saying he is a survivor.
1. In 1988, Evanshen was ________.| A．a businessman | B．a public speaker |
| C．a football player | D．a father of two daughters |
| A．He would never drive again. | B．He couldn’t stand up anymore. |
| C．He lost his memory and all his ability. | D．He suffered a serious physical injury. |
| A．His determination never to give up. | B．His gift for learning new things. |
| C．His good luck. | D．His fans’ love. |
| A．It was lost in 1992. | B．It was a boring film. |
| C．It was directed by Evanshen. | D．It was based on the story of Evanshen. |
| A．A great football player | B．What’s a persevering person like? |
| C．The man who lost himself | D．Terry Evanshen’s life |
10 . Last Friday I came home from work. And as I entered my home, I
I immediately knew that my
Looking at all the deeds she had done, I was going around unconsciously moving things and putting them in their “proper order”.
“If your husband helps you in the house doing anything,
I thought back, and realized that I had a
I sat down in my clean house
| A．heard | B．expected | C．forgot | D．realized |
| A．big | B．empty | C．clean | D．modern |
| A．daughter | B．mother | C．neighbor | D．friend |
| A．excited | B．disappointed | C．upset | D．grateful |
| A．support | B．run | C．manage | D．buy |
| A．Luckily | B．Suddenly | C．Surprisingly | D．Carelessly |
| A．never | B．ever | C．always | D．sometimes |
| A．injured | B．prepared | C．settled | D．married |
| A．time | B．way | C．attitude | D．order |
| A．now that | B．in case | C．even if | D．ever since |
| A．remember | B．accept | C．mark | D．change |
| A．plan | B．gift | C．habit | D．gift |
| A．unimportant | B．shocked | C．puzzled | D．frightened |
| A．matter | B．work | C．mind | D．care |
| A．secretly | B．patiently | C．bravely | D．peacefully |
