1 . Once you get your driver’s license in Germany at 18, your Mum might tell you “Never drive faster than your guardian angel can ever fly.” I remember that I always ________ “Yes, yes — nothing will ever ________ me. Calm down, Mum.”

One day, my brother, Philipp, and I ________ back from a party at around 4 am in the night. The streets had been ________ with rain, making it difficult to drive and ________ paying attention. We were just very ________, laughing and talking in the car. I loved to drive very fast with my favorite songs playing. I felt the happiness ________ through my blood. Suddenly I saw a car in front of ours with its huge lights on. Accordingly I ________ to the left side of the road to avoid any collision.

Just then, I heard Philipp ________ while the car was slipping towards us. I tried to stop it on the left side. A few seconds later, I made it. Full of ________ and sweaty hands, I looked at my brothe’s face. He looked at me, gave me a ________, saying, “Sophie, we are ________ alive!” I was just very happy to lie in my brother’s ________, feeling safe.

Now I am always afraid of driving in rainy days on slippery roads, which might be more dangerous for ________. This experience might have changed my ________ and the way I am behaving in different ________. I am more thankful for life because it can change in split seconds ________ being in charge of it. ________ the event wasn’t my ________, I would definitely feel ________ if we got injured. Now I know how valuable life is.

1.

A．described

B．shouted

C．answered

D．nodded

2.

A．cater for

B．happen to

C．stick to

D．impress on

3.

A．walked

B．rode

C．wandered

D．drove

4.

A．reserved

B．cleaned

C．flooded

D．exploded

5.

A．keep

B．avoid

C．resist

D．miss

6.

A．addicted

B．embarrassed

C．excited

D．relaxed

7.

A．flowing

B．observing

C．releasing

D．returning

8.

A．turned

B．applied

C．adjusted

D．pointed

9.

A．whispering

B．screaming

C．repeating

D．cheering

10.

A．air

B．water

C．smiles

D．tears

11.

A．hand

B．call

C．hug

D．chance

12.

A．even

B．almost

C．still

D．ever

13.

A．seat

B．arms

C．knees

D．car

14.

A．standing out

B．passing over

C．running across

D．going up

15.

A．appearance

B．habit

C．temper

D．character

16.

A．situations

B．essays

C．opportunities

D．lessons

17.

A．without

B．with

C．by

D．for

18.

A．In case

B．Even though

C．As though

D．As if

19.

A．target

B．desire

C．demand

D．fault

20.

A．mean

B．generous

C．awkward

D．guilty

2 . It was more than three decades ago, but chemist Geraldine Richmond still remembers it clearly: the first time she felt like her research had really failed. As a young researcher fresh out of graduate school, Richmond was setting up her own laser (激光) lab. She had spent days on end using a brand-new laser to collect data on a molecule (分子) that a biochemist collaborator had given her to study. It felt like things were finally falling into place. Then, she found out the sample he'd given her had gotten polluted.

“I realized that these weeks of running experiments around the clock, and literally sleeping in the lab, were basically all just studying this false one,” says Richmond. “That was the one day in my career that I didn't want to get out of bed.”

But Richmond did. She dragged herself out of bed went on a long run to clear her head, and marched into the lab. She decided she wanted to change the direction of her research to one where she could control her own samples. She started using lasers to study the chemical processes that occur on the surface of water, work that has since earned her worldwide fame, including a 2013 National Medal of Science.

“I started this whole new set of much riskier experiments, and I've continued in that area of research until today,”   says Richmond. “Looking back, I'm so glad those first experiments did fail.” Richmond says she feels successful if just 10 percent of her ideas work. For scientists, taking risks in their research — trying to break into a new field, develop a new method for doing something or address a question that no one has tried to answer before — makes them more prone (易于) to failure, but also more prone to big breakthroughs.

“Failure in science is only a failure if you stay in bed,”   says Richmond. “If you don't get up and learn something from it.”

1. What impressed Richmond most in paragraph 1?

A．Her own laser lab.	B．A brand-new laser.
C．The polluted sample.	D．The data on a molecule.

2. Which best describes Richmond while facing failure?

A．Guilty but unbeatable.	B．Depressed but insistent.
C．Annoyed and pessimistic.	D．Hopeful and enthusiastic.

3. What made scientists successful in Richmond's view?

A．The spirit of taking risks.	B．Scientific research methods.
C．Strict self-discipline system.	D．Great devotion to their careers.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Be the Best — You Can Make It	B．The Higher the Status, the Better
C．Be Grateful—Failure Is Your Treasure	D．More Self-Control, More Competitive

4 . How to start running and actually stick with it

Want to know how I went from someone who thought “how on earth do you have fun running when, after five minutes, you’re fighting for your life?” to a marathon completer?     1     You can follow them and make a change.

First, don’t overthink it. Pop your trainers on and head outside-you’re already halfway there. I started small:just like that.     2     I hated it: my legs hurt, my lungs burned. But I finished.

Then, join a running club. I am now part of Run Dem Crew, where I’ve found some of my closest friends. While the pandemic (流行病) has stopped us from meeting up, my weekly runs make me feel closer to them. I log my mileage on an app, checking in with my friends.     3    

And finally, realise that not every run is going to be your best. Just after my 5km I joined LDN Brunch Club, a running collective who meet on Sundays and hunt out the best brunch spots in the capital. On my first day, I leapt out of bed, picked my best outfit and headed to Shoreditch. I was terrified: 20km was the distance. Little did I know my poor inexperienced muscles (and smoker’s lungs) would pack in at 8km. I tapped out, let the group go on without me and sulked.

    4     The following week, I joined the group again, only this time on a shorter route, chatting with the runners along the way. The social element made me forget the pain in my muscles, and helped me not to think about my worries. To my surprise, I actually started to enjoy putting myself through pain. That’s when I went from running once a week to three times a week.     5     See you at the starting line!

A．But I got back up again.

B．I signed up for my first 5km.

C．I’ve got some pieces of advice.

D．Your body can’t adapt quickly enough.

E．It has become a lifeline during lockdown.

F．Next thing I knew I was doing a marathon.

G．As simple as running may be, it certainly isn’t easy.

5 . An endangered black-footed ferret (雪貂), considered to be the rarest mammal in North America, made a “surprise appearance” in a Pueblo West homeowner’s garage on Monday, according to a Colorado Parks and Wildlife(CPW) news report.

The unnamed homeowner called CPW about the furry visitor, and while waiting for officers to arrive, he tricked the animal into a box. The home is located near the Walker Ranch, where CPW has been releasing black-footed ferrets on a prairie dog colony as part of a major conservation collaboration to restore their populations. Black-footed ferrets rely heavily on prairie dogs, which are often treated as pests by farmers, for food.

Since 2013, more than 120 black-footed ferrets have been released on the Walker Ranch by CPW biologists. By scanning the escaped ferret’s microchip, officers were able to determine it was one of nine black-footed ferrets recently released on the ranch.

With the blessing of the ranch owner, and after examining the animal and determining it was healthy, CPW officers took the box and hiked deep into the prairie colony in the dark, opened the box and watched the ferret hurry into a prairie dog hole.

“We don’t know exactly why this black-footed ferret left the colony,” said Ed Schmal, CPW conservation biologist. “We put them into prairie dog holes but they may not stay. Sometimes they move around the colony to find the right home. This one might have gotten pushed out by other ferrets and it went looking for a new home. We really don’t know.”

Schmal said CPW has only received one other report of a black-footed ferret leaving the ranch, and he had never heard of one entering a structure like a garage. “This is extremely rare,” he said. “Black-footed ferrets are active at night and extremely shy. For some reason, this one left the colony and was seeking shelter. We’re just glad it appeared healthy, not starving or sick, and we were able to capture it and return it to the colony.”

1. Who found the black-footed ferret?

A．An unnamed homeowner.	B．A bus driver.
C．A wildlife reserve officer.	D．A furry visitor.

2. What can we learn about ferrets from the second paragraph?

A．They like to go in groups.	B．They feed on prairie dogs.
C．They often surprise humans.	D．They hate the Walker Ranch.

3. What did the CPW officers do before returning the ferret?

A．They trapped it in a large cage.	B．They placed a microchip on it.
C．They gave it a health check.	D．They paid the ranch owner.

4. How did Schmal feel about the ferret entering a garage?

A．Satisfied.

B．Surprised.

C．Disappointed.

D．Frightened.

7 . Robin Hughes, 60, is a special education teacher at SouthShore Charter Academy in Riverview, Florida. She was reading a book about snow when she noticed that some of the children looked_______ .

When she asked how many of them had _______snow before, only two of them raised their hands. Hughes, who grew up in Louisa, Kentucky, was shocked. “It’s hard for kids to understand the_______because they don’t have the_______ knowledge.”

_______to show her students snow for the first time, Hughes reached out to her sister, Amber Estes, who lives in Danville, Kentucky. She asked her to make a snowman and_______it overnight to her, but Estes didn’t think it would be _______.

“I said to her, ‘We haven’t had a(n) _______ amount of snow. I was making every_______ in the world’,” Estes told The Washington Post. “In the end, I accepted the________because I knew that I would never have to________it.”

But in January, after Danville was________with 10 inches of snow, Estes went into her backyard and made a snowman, ________with blueberry eyes, a carrot nose, and sticks for arms.

She then packed it into a container filled with________packs and sealed the box________. It cost $78 to mail the snowman overnight to her sister’s________through the U. S. Postal Service. Estes named the snowman “Lucky” in the hope that he’d make the 800-mile journey to Florida without________.

So Hughes’s students________ Lucky for the first time. The kindergartners________gathered around the box to look at the snowman, and some couldn’t________touching him.

1.

A．delighted

B．confused

C．embarrassed

D．uninterested

2.

A．seen

B．expected

C．remembered

D．created

3.

A．rule

B．judgment

C．concept

D．order

4.

A．correct

B．relevant

C．powerful

D．reliable

5.

A．Cautious

B．Hesitant

C．Required

D．Determined

6.

A．push

B．mail

C．drive

D．recommend

7.

A．legal

B．normal

C．expensive

D．possible

8.

A．equal

B．limited

C．considerable

D．tiny

9.

A．effort

B．sense

C．excuse

D．difference

10.

A．gift

B．offer

C．result

D．challenge

11.

A．live up to

B．make up for

C．get on with

D．give in

12.

A．hit

B．burdened

C．fed

D．lined

13.

A．popular

B．standard

C．complete

D．successful

14.

A．ice

B．leave

C．apple

D．toy

15.

A．empty

B．hidden

C．apart

D．closed

16.

A．farm

B．factory

C．hospital

D．school

17.

A．doubt

B．damage

C．exception

D．warning

18.

A．met

B．greeted

C．noticed

D．tasted

19.

A．shyly

B．confidently

C．excitedly

D．proudly

20.

A．enjoy

B．resist

C．imagine

D．suggest

8 . At 91 years old and with Alzheimer’s disease, Gene McGehee was finding his golden years to be his loneliest. That all ______ one day when he heard the clear sound of children’s laughter right outside his home.

When Gene ______ outside, he couldn’t believe his good ______ to discover a group of lively young kids playing. The children, from the daycare center across the street, were more than ______ to include Gene in their fun. They ______ him Big Gene, and a special, long-lasting friendship was ______ between Gene, the kids and Megan Nunez, the daycare teacher.

Gene’s ______ Alzheimer’s disease means he now has only short-term memory. For the last three years, Gene has been ______ Megan and the kids every day for what he thinks is the ______ time. “Every day, I cross the street, and we stay together,” explained Megan. “I always tell the kids that his ______ is kind of sick, but his heart ______ us.”

Gene’s daughter, Cathy, said he ______ from loneliness until the kids came into his life and ______ his days. He now gets to just go outside and make new friends on a daily basis. “They have been such a ______ to Daddy, and he lights up,” Cathy ______ shared.

Gene and the kids enjoy their one-hour “playdate” every afternoon. They ______ jokes, stories, laughs and hugs. He sometimes even ______ their games. Even though the day’s cherished memories disappear as the sun _______, something remains in the depths of Gene’s mind. It is that ______ feeling that makes him go outside as soon as he hears the children’s _______once again.

1.

A．changed

B．happened

C．mattered

D．began

2.

A．rushed

B．stayed

C．stepped

D．glared

3.

A．view

B．fortune

C．alternative

D．position

4.

A．willing

B．curious

C．annoyed

D．afraid

5.

A．awarded

B．nicknamed

C．owed

D．handed

6.

A．expected

B．faded

C．damaged

D．born

7.

A．infectious

B．mild

C．severe

D．rare

8.

A．meeting

B．consulting

C．asking

D．accompanying

9.

A．last

B．next

C．most

D．first

10.

A．leg

B．eye

C．arm

D．brain

11.

A．needs

B．remembers

C．ignores

D．discovers

12.

A．learned

B．suffered

C．benefited

D．recovered

13.

A．ruined

B．promoted

C．brightened

D．explored

14.

A．blessing

B．reward

C．problem

D．burden

15.

A．eventually

B．cheerfully

C．regularly

D．frequently

16.

A．exchange

B．communicate

C．tell

D．play

17.

A．breaks in

B．blows up

C．passes down

D．participates in

18.

A．rises

B．shines

C．moves

D．sets

19.

A．normal

B．necessary

C．special

D．cautious

20.

A．screams

B．complaints

C．laughter

D．news

10 . We step out of the cold and into the warmth of the library. Before my children have even finished returning their books, my 2-year-old son has _________ the children’s librarians down at the other end of the building.

“Ms. Amie!” he shouts. “Ms. Ann Marie!” He skip-hops (蹦蹦跳跳) the _________ of the library, past the cozy fireplace. My 8-year-old daughter _________ at me: We’re both delighted by his love for the library.

When we _________ the children’s room, with a tree decorated with beloved children’s-book characters, the two librarians bend down to _________ the kids, directing them to old favorites and brand-new _________. “I ordered this one just for you!” Ms. Amie tells my son, _________ him a book about tow trucks.

The children settle in; this is their _________ place, and mine too.

We _________ the city chaos and noise of Los Angeles for a(n) __________ life on a remote island in Alaska. While we sometimes miss what big __________ have to offer, I’ve been able to __________ and enjoy life with my __________ here.

We don’t have children’s museums or a zoo. We don’t have __________ ice cream shops or gyms or indoor play spaces that can be __________ for very expensive birthday parties.

But we didn’t move here for any of those. I’ve __________ my life used to move so quickly that I was __________ opportunities to even __________ all those options available to me. I was always looking ahead to the next thing. Now I am __________. I look around me more and the __________ are impressive. I should have been doing that all along.

1.

A．presented

B．spotted

C．approached

D．passed

2.

A．length

B．lines

C．fence

D．ropes

3.

A．shouts

B．laughs

C．stares

D．smiles

4.

A．occupy

B．air

C．go out of

D．arrive at

5.

A．touch

B．teach

C．greet

D．praise

6.

A．eras

B．books

C．start

D．fashion

7.

A．buying

B．reading

C．showing

D．ordering

8.

A．lucky

B．hopeful

C．safe

D．happy

9.

A．left

B．stood

C．created

D．discovered

10.

A．quiet

B．easy

C．rich

D．lonely

11.

A．companies

B．cities

C．libraries

D．islands

12.

A．give up

B．cheer up

C．slow down

D．calm down

13.

A．friends

B．pets

C．family

D．team

14.

A．fancy

B．profitable

C．free

D．dirty

15.

A．removed

B．separated

C．rented

D．exchanged

16.

A．forgotten

B．realized

C．regretted

D．proved

17.

A．seeking

B．overlooking

C．grasping

D．wasting

18.

A．use

B．see

C．recognize

D．appreciate

19.

A．wealthy

B．greedy

C．mindful

D．pitiful

20.

A．achievements

B．benefits

C．stories

D．views