1 . A few years ago, my husband Matt offered to get me a digital piano for my 41st birthday. Matt knew that I had taken piano lessons as a kid, but stopped doing so in the seventh grade. I was at the age when I would rather go to the mall with friends than play the piano on the weekends.

I was game for a digital piano, but skeptical — I wasn’t sure I was going to play it that often. However, Matt was persistent. He reminded me that I’d mentioned wanting to play the piano again, so he bought me one and set it up in my office.

To be honest, I had only made half-hearted attempts over the years to take up various hobbies, mostly craft-related ones like knitting (编织) and cross-stitch (十字绣), to relax. But nothing really stuck.

Then, two years ago, I had a baby. The piano became even more of an afterthought as I became consumed by the challenges of parenting. I had enough on my plate, I told myself. There was no point in adding another thing that was probably just going to stress me out.

But recently, my 2-year-old son had figured out how to turn on the digital piano and loved to bang on the keys. Seeing him play so joyfully, I thought maybe I could take piano lessons and help him to prepare for the music world.

I started lessons a couple of weeks later, and it turned out that I could handle 15 minutes a day.

Sometimes, I could handle 40 minutes. I found myself completely immersed in playing the piano. The repetition calmed me. Going over difficult parts in each piece I was learning was incredibly satisfying. To my great surprise, at age 44, I have an actual hobby now, and I really look forward to performing together with my son one day.

1. How did the author feel when her husband offered to buy her a digital piano?

A．She was excited.	B．She was thankful.
C．She doubted herself.	D．She considered it a joke.

2. Which of the following statements about the author is true according to the passage?

A．She devoted herself entirely to bringing up her baby.

B．She dropped out of school in the seven grade.

C．She gave up playing the piano again at her forties.

D．She ate a lot for parenting.

3. What do we know about the author’s craft-related hobbies?

A．She loved knitting and cross-stitch the most.

B．She gave them up eventually.

C．They made her more patient.

D．They gave her too much pressure.

4. What inspired the author to restart learning how to play the piano?

A．Her husband’s encouragement.

B．Her son’s interest in the piano.

C．Her hope to make her son happy.

D．Her desire to reduce the stress of parenting.

5. What happened after the author started taking piano lessons again?

A．She taught her son to play the piano.

B．She determined to become a pianist.

C．She practiced harder for competition.

D．She felt peaceful and content while playing.

2 . A businessman was in debt and couldn’t figure out what to do. He was sitting on a bench in the park with his head down, thinking what could _______ the company from bankruptcy. _______ , an old man appeared in front of him.

“I see that something is _______ you,” he said.

After listening to the businessman, the old man said: “I think I can _______ you. ”

He asked the businessman what his name was, wrote him a _______ and said: “Take this money. We will _______ here exactly in one year, and you will be _______ to return it to me at that time. ”

After that, he turned around and _______ just as suddenly as he appeared. The businessman saw a check in his hands for an amount of 500,000 dollars, signed by John Rockefeller, one of the _______ people in the world at that time!

“I can ________ all of my problems in no time!”

He thought. But instead, the businessman decided to ________ the check into his safe. Thinking about its existence gave him the ________ to find a solution to save his business.

With the return of his ________ , he made profitable deals. Over a couple of months, he got out of ________ and started to earn money again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the ________ with the same check. At the agreed time the old man appeared again. Just as the businessman wanted to return the check and share his story of success, a ________ ran up and grabbed the old man.

“I hope he wasn’t bothering you. He always runs away from the hospital and tells people that he is John Rockefeller.” She said to the businessman.

The businessman was ________. During the whole year, he was creating and building a business, buying and selling, ________ that he had half a million dollars. And suddenly he understood that it was not the ________ , real or imaginary, that had changed his life. It was his new confidence and belief that gave him the strength to ________ everything that he had.

1.

A．save

B．build

C．make

D．buy

2.

A．Luckily

B．Slowly

C．Suddenly

D．Finally

3.

A．bothering

B．moving

C．approaching

D．hurting

4.

A．guide

B．trust

C．encourage

D．help

5.

A．bill

B．check

C．letter

D．number

6.

A．leave

B．visit

C．meet

D．remember

7.

A．willing

B．eager

C．likely

D．able

8.

A．laughed

B．ran away

C．disappeared

D．fell off

9.

A．richest

B．strangest

C．smartest

D．nicest

10.

A．ignore

B．end

C．avoid

D．recognize

11.

A．pull

B．push

C．put

D．write

12.

A．pleasure

B．relief

C．comfort

D．strength

13.

A．business

B．confidence

C．solution

D．support

14.

A．debt

B．danger

C．school

D．shape

15.

A．store

B．cafe

C．park

D．restaurant

16.

A．police

B．nurse

C．patient

D．waitress

17.

A．amused

B．angry

C．sad

D．shocked

18.

A．uncertain

B．convinced

C．pleased

D．proud

19.

A．money

B．gift

C．promise

D．help

20.

A．expect

B．match

C．learn

D．achieve

3 . 阅读表达

Last summer, Katie Steller pulled off the freeway on her way to work. She stopped at a traffic light, where a man was sitting with a sign asking for help. She rolled down her window.

“Hey!” she shouted. “I’m driving around giving free haircuts. Do you want one right now?” “Actually,” the man said, “I was really hoping to get a haircut.”

“I’ll be right back,” Steller said. She drove off, went to the salon she owns, and asked one of her stylists to help her load a red chair into her car. Then the two of them drove back, and trimmed (修剪) the man’s curly grey hair. He told them about growing up in Mississippi, about moving to be closer to his adult children, and how he still talks to his mom every day. After Steller was done, the man looked in a mirror. “I look good!” he said.

So far, Steller has given about 30 such haircuts to people around the city. And she is keenly aware of the power of her cleanup job.

“It’s more than a haircut,” she says. “I want it to be a gateway, to show value and respect, but also to get to know people and build relationships.” Steller knows that a haircut can change a life. “Part of what broke my heart was just how lonely people looked.” she says. “I thought maybe I’d go around and ask if people want free haircuts. I can’t fix their problems, but maybe I can help them feel less alone for a moment.”

Steller listens to people’s stories of loss, addiction, and struggle to get back on their feet. And it all began with a belief in simple acts of kindness, such as a free haircut. “The way you show up in the world matters,” says Steller. “You have no idea what people are going to do with the kindness that you give them.”

1. Why did Steller stop at a traffic light? (No more than 15 words)
2. What did the man do when his hair was being trimmed? (No more than 10 words)
3. How did the man feel after a free haircut? (No more than 5 words)
4. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably mean? (No more than 10 words)
5. What do you think of Katie Steller? and why? (No more than 25words)

5 . Two birthdays, One mistake

Zackary Johnson has a birthday coming up in a few days, so it wasn’t surprising to have an envelope addressed to him last week.

His mom, Glenda, ____ immediately that it was spelled “Zachary” Johnson. She didn’t find that unusual because many people spell Zackary’s name ____. But the sender’s pre-printed label made her confused. That name didn’t ____ up to anyone of her friends or relatives. She asked her husband, “Do you ____ this name?” “Nope,” Steve responded and became somewhat ____.

Still, they agreed to ____ the envelope to their son to see what was in it. Zack opened it to ____ $20 in a birthday card that said “Happy Birthday, Zachary!” He was ____and was ready to go shopping!!

However, the ____ increased for Glenda. The card was unsigned. She was wondering why a ____ would send money to her son and ____ he would know it was Zack’s birthday. A variety of scenes can go ____ parents’ minds, especially when they hear stories about Internet crimes. They knew they would have to make some inquiries not only to give them ____, but also to protect their son.

“I know who that fellow is! He is an old farmer that lives out on Hillberry Road.” Glenda’s dad said when he was informed of the ____.

So the couple quickly drove out into the country and found the house. ____, no one was home. Steve decided to leave a brief but ____ message that the call should be returned as soon as possible.

The next day the old farmer called. The farmer’s great grandson, Zachary Johnson, had recently moved with his parents to Heavenly Drive. That’s the street where Zackary Johnson ____. The farmer was sure surprised by the ____ of events. He figured he’d have to send another card to his grandson. But Zackary Johnson, who is turning eleven years old in a few days, did the right thing. He and his parents ____ their way down Heavenly Drive to the home of Zachary Johnson who is turning four years old in a few days. They ____ Zachary’s great grandfather’s card with the $20. Plus, Zackary Johnson wished Zachary Johnson a very Happy Birthday.

1.

A．expected

B．guessed

C．added

D．noticed

2.

A．hesitantly

B．incorrectly

C．quickly

D．naturally

3.

A．match

B．back

C．call

D．build

4.

A．sign

B．like

C．bear

D．recognize

5.

A．embarrassed

B．discouraged

C．concerned

D．ashamed

6.

A．present

B．return

C．address

D．drop

7.

A．hold

B．find

C．reach

D．pay

8.

A．relieved

B．relaxed

C．amused

D．excited

9.

A．unease

B．anger

C．regret

D．sadness

10.

A．relative

B．friend

C．stranger

D．farmer

11.

A．who

B．what

C．when

D．how

12.

A．over

B．beyond

C．through

D．against

13.

A．faith

B．peace

C．satisfaction

D．confidence

14.

A．secret

B．crime

C．conclusion

D．situation

15.

A．Amazingly

B．Unfortunately

C．Interestingly

D．Undoubtedly

16.

A．urgent

B．updated

C．warning

D．flexible

17.

A．walks

B．travels

C．lives

D．moves

18.

A．turn

B．order

C．error

D．trend

19.

A．changed

B．made

C．pushed

D．cleared

20.

A．held

B．showed

C．delivered

D．purchased

6 . The journey my daughter Cathy has had with her swimming is as long as it is beautiful.

Cathy suffered some terrible _______ in her early childhood. After years of regular treatment, she _______ became healthy.

Two years ago, while Cathy was watching the Olympics, a dream came into her sweet little head—to be a swimmer. Last summer, she wanted to _______ our local swim team. She practiced hard and finally _______ it. The team practice, _______ was a rough start. She coughed and choked and could hardly _______ her first few weeks. Hearing her coughing bitterly one night, I decided to _______ her from it all. But Cathy woke me up early next morning, wearing her swimsuit _______ to go! I told her she shouldn’t swim after a whole night’s coughing, but she refused to _______ and insisted she go.

From that day on, Cathy kept swimming and didn’t ________ a single practice. She had a ________ intention within herself to be the best she could be. My ten-year-old was growing and changing right before my eyes, into this ________ human being with a passion and a mission. There were moments of ________ of course: often she would be the last swimmer in the race. It was difficult for Cathy to accept that she wasn’t a ________—ever. But that didn’t stop her from trying.

Then came the final awards ceremony at the end of the year. Cathy didn’t expect any award but was still there to ________ her friends and praise their accomplishments. As the ceremony was nearing the end, I suddenly heard the head coach ________, “The highest honor goes to Cathy!” Looking around, he continued, “Cathy has inspired us with her ________ and enthusiasm. ________ skills and talents bring great success, the most valuable asset(财富) one can hold is the heart.”
It was the greatest ________ of my daughter’s life. With all she had been ________ in her ten years, this was the hour of true triumph(成功).1.

A．failure

B．pressure

C．loss

D．illness

2.

A．usually

B．finally

C．firstly

D．frequently

3.

A．improve

B．train

C．join

D．contact

4.

A．increased

B．found

C．created

D．made

5.

A．however

B．therefore

C．otherwise

D．instead

6.

A．use

B．survive

C．save

D．waste

7.

A．pull

B．tell

C．hide

D．fire

8.

A．afraid

B．nervous

C．ready

D．free

9.

A．take off

B．set off

C．give up

D．show up

10.

A．attend

B．miss

C．ban

D．start

11.

A．rich

B．weak

C．firm

D．kind

12.

A．trusted

B．determined

C．experienced

D．embarrassed

13.

A．frustration

B．delight

C．excitement

D．surprise

14.

A．beginner

B．learner

C．partner

D．winner

15.

A．cheer on

B．compete with

C．respond to

D．run after

16.

A．admitting

B．explaining

C．announcing

D．whispering

17.

A．humor

B．will

C．honesty

D．wisdom

18.

A．Although

B．Since

C．Once

D．Because

19.

A．discovery

B．choice

C．influence

D．moment

20.

A．through

B．under

C．across

D．around