1 . Once upon a time, a daughter complained to her father that her life was unhappy and that she was tired of struggling all the time.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes, eggs and coffee beans in them. After 20 minutes, he took them out, putting the potatoes and eggs in a bowl and the coffee in a cup.
Turning to his daughter, he said, “Look closer, and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to taste the coffee. Its good smell brought a smile to her face.
“Father, what does this mean?” she asked. He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and the coffee beans were in the same adversity (逆境) — the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently.
The strong and hard potato became soft and weak in boiling water. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. However, the coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. “Which one do you want to be like,” he asked. “When adversity knocks on your door, how will you respond?”
In life, challenges happen to us all, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us.
1. What can we infer from this story?A.The girl liked the coffee best. |
B.The father was good at cooking. |
C.The girl didn’t like the potatoes and eggs. |
D.Different people have different reactions to adversity. |
A.thick | B.hard | C.strong | D.easily-broken |
A.Challenges and responses. | B.Adversities and a chef. |
C.A chef and coffee beans. | D.Father and daughter. |
2 . “A bird with a broken wing will never fly high.” I’m sure that John would agree with this saying, as he felt this way almost every day in school.
By high school, John was the most famous
I met John for the first time at a weekend leadership training program since John was one of the 405 students who
The ice really melted when the groups started building a list of
John started
A bird with a broken wing only needs mending. Once healed, it can fly
A.storyteller | B.troublemaker | C.dream-seeker | D.peacemaker |
A.work | B.debt | C.difficulties | D.fights |
A.driven away | B.left out | C.turned to | D.sent to |
A.have | B.accompany | C.love | D.chase |
A.signed up | B.took over | C.fell down | D.went by |
A.hurriedly | B.easily | C.readily | D.warm |
A.drew | B.led | C.sent | D.reminded |
A.useless | B.meaning | C.strange | D.positive |
A.changed | B.noticed | C.expressed | D.reserved |
A.refused | B.welcomed | C.ignored | D.gathered |
A.founder | B.part | C.leader | D.heart |
A.impressed | B.anxious | C.disappointed | D.familiar |
A.walking away | B.dropping out | C.going down | D.showing up |
A.buying | B.collecting | C.donating | D.making |
A.longer | B.farther | C.higher | D.happier |
3 . An early morning winter storm had brought several inches of snow to my small town in the mountains. Schools were canceled, roads were dangerous and all I wanted to do was to stay in bed. However, I knew I had to get the day started so I put on warm clothes and walked outside. The snow got all over my shoes. The cold wind dried my lips and my eyes. My 47-year-old back ached in anticipation (预想) of the shoveling (铲雪) I would have to do if the snow didn’t stop soon.
Yet, when I looked out on the white blanket that covered the ground, I couldn’t help but smile a bit. It was so beautiful. It softened the bare trees and hid the dead grass. In the distance I could hear the sound of the snowplow on the road, the barking of a happy dog and the laughter of children playing outside, enjoying their day off from school. The sweet music of that laughter brought back a hundred memories of winters past. I remembered catching snowflakes on my tongue, building snowmen, making snow angels, running down hills and always losing snowball fights with first my brothers and then my own children. Standing there in that warm coat of memories made the wind a little less cold and my back a little less sore. I turned up my head, stuck out my tongue and for the first time in years caught a snowflake on it. It tasted so fresh and clean. It tasted like youth, like joy and like love.
May you always feel young in spirit, no matter how old or achy your body may be. May you always delight in the simple joys of life. May you always share your happiness with the hearts of children. And may you always give your love, your light, your laughter and your warmth to others even on the coldest days.
1. What was the author’s first reaction when he knew it snowed heavily?A.He felt happy. | B.He was upset. | C.He was moved. | D.He felt in danger. |
A.felt too cold because the snow didn’t stop |
B.liked to start his day on such a snowy day |
C.ached in his back because of the cold weather |
D.would make greater efforts to clear up the snow |
A.Taste and smell. | B.Sight and smell. |
C.Sight, hearing and taste. | D.Smell, hearing and taste. |
A.We should always stay young at heart. |
B.Snow brings both fun and trouble to humans. |
C.Memories can change our opinion in all aspects. |
D.Appreciate every moment spent with your family. |
4 . Lowri Moore, aged 15, of Nottingham, England, has worn eyeglasses since she was a baby. But she hasn’t always seen glasses
When Lowri was 9, she sent a letter to Disney asking them if they could create a(n)
Disney
In 2019, Lowri Moore, called for more glasses-wearing
With her dream
A.reflected | B.designed | C.updated | D.recommended |
A.choice | B.power | C.mission | D.mind |
A.fancy | B.positive | C.similar | D.ordinary |
A.rewarded | B.protected | C.changed | D.celebrated |
A.tend | B.mean | C.attempt | D.admit |
A.focused on | B.responded to | C.caught up on | D.picked up |
A.joyful | B.extraordinary | C.courageous | D.typical |
A.remain | B.decide | C.adapt | D.deserve |
A.friends | B.princesses | C.teachers | D.animals |
A.presented | B.respected | C.measured | D.decorated |
A.nervous | B.funny | C.patient | D.comfortable |
A.option | B.effort | C.joke | D.purpose |
A.incredibly | B.regularly | C.accidentally | D.occasionally |
A.seen | B.realized | C.reported | D.identified |
A.rule | B.dream | C.promise | D.difference |
5 . Zhao Yuan, who was a dance teacher, lost one leg in an accident at the age of 24.
In 2020, she set up an offline sales platform called Good and Fresh, which mainly sold goods produced by Zhao’s disabled friends.
She became a livestream(直播) host on social media platforms,
With the
A.Similarly | B.Especially | C.Finally | D.Formally |
A.teaching | B.singing | C.learning | D.selling |
A.ask | B.search | C.pay | D.care |
A.In spite of | B.Rather than | C.Apart from | D.Because of |
A.tried | B.stopped | C.started | D.kept |
A.got over | B.picked out | C.put through | D.turned to |
A.exchanging | B.pushing | C.stopping | D.quitting |
A.leg | B.arm | C.finger | D.eye |
A.block | B.culture | C.job | D.rule |
A.disabled | B.intelligent | C.honest | D.humorous |
A.noticed | B.run | C.admired | D.expected |
A.loss | B.agreement | C.development | D.information |
A.proud | B.curious | C.afraid | D.shy |
A.surprise | B.attract | C.follow | D.train |
A.enjoyment | B.value | C.difference | D.responsibility |
6 . When the weather starts to warm up, we love heading to the beach for a few days. During one such trip, after a few days of being
We
It was a breathtaking drive and we kept our eyes glued to the window. The scenery was
After a few minutes of looking and pointing at a shiny object in the sky, he was pretty
We eventually got back in the
It is one of the short funny travel
A.lazy | B.confident | C.different | D.angry |
A.walk | B.challenge | C.drive | D.rest |
A.bought | B.borrowed | C.found | D.fixed |
A.plan | B.dream | C.future | D.game |
A.took up | B.moved on | C.went away | D.turned out |
A.boring | B.excellent | C.normal | D.bad |
A.suddenly | B.quickly | C.luckily | D.carefully |
A.letting | B.bringing | C.leaving | D.telling |
A.worried | B.nervous | C.sad | D.excited |
A.decide | B.promise | C.mention | D.agree |
A.believes | B.understands | C.guesses | D.follows |
A.sun | B.car | C.hotel | D.store |
A.replied | B.remembered | C.thought | D.cheered |
A.books | B.tips | C.stories | D.tests |
A.hopes | B.ideas | C.problems | D.trips |
7 . Michael Coyne has autism (自闭症), He began searching for jobs when he was 21 years old, but he had no
The store has a Facebook page that describes the
People have left
Families who have children with disabilities have found the place to be a
A.choice | B.answer | C.luck | D.confidence |
A.punished | B.cheated | C.praised | D.rejected |
A.different | B.unique | C.convenient | D.familiar |
A.organizing | B.designing | C.taking | D.choosing |
A.lonely | B.disabled | C.brave | D.kind |
A.searched | B.advertised | C.entered | D.founded |
A.potential | B.future | C.mission | D.development |
A.more than | B.at least | C.anything but | D.something like |
A.create | B.change | C.explain | D.adopt |
A.humorous | B.doubtful | C.divided | D.positive |
A.recognized | B.conducted | C.assigned | D.sponsored |
A.gathered | B.received | C.sent | D.conveyed |
A.friendly | B.similar | C.quiet | D.secret |
A.curiosity | B.interest | C.hope | D.imagination |
A.education | B.career | C.research | D.communication |
1. What did Jack usually do while he walked?
A.He closed his eyes. |
B.He picked up trash. |
C.He thought about something. |
A.A coin. | B.Candy. | C.A bug. |
A.He brought the object with him. |
B.He gave the object to someone. |
C.He left the object on the ground. |
A.His teacher. | B.His classmate. | C.A homeless person. |
9 . My husband, Russ, and I drove through our neighborhood, the place we’d called home for 28 years. The foothills, once thick with towering pines, were
Two weeks earlier, we’d gotten an early-morning call telling us to
Now we’d been allowed to return. Russ and I brought
“How will we survive this?” I wondered. “How will we go on?” It felt as if our lives had been destroyed. Later that afternoon Russ
I turned to get in the car. That’s when I
Words that must have come from one of my books, a passage I couldn’t recall but now said everything I needed to
A.beautiful | B.strange | C.unrecognizable | D.greenish |
A.remained | B.painted | C.left | D.saved |
A.enjoy | B.leave | C.help | D.rescue |
A.happy | B.eager | C.famous | D.sorry |
A.bad | B.good | C.useful | D.impressive |
A.shovels | B.books | C.sweaters | D.posters |
A.take | B.bring | C.save | D.understand |
A.waited | B.helped | C.awarded | D.prevented |
A.something | B.anything | C.nothing | D.everything |
A.improved | B.enjoyed | C.put | D.exchanged |
A.wrote | B.sculpted | C.figured | D.noticed |
A.easy | B.sharp | C.helpful | D.clear |
A.sadness | B.happiness | C.courage | D.anger |
A.say | B.hear | C.sing | D.give |
A.stop | B.begin | C.live | D.read |
10 . Getting out of my car one evening in late January, I met my neighbor Theresa, who had seen me drive in. “Mrs Taylor is in the hospital again,” she said. “I thought you’d like to know.” I had last seen Mrs Taylor a day or two before Christmas when I took her a little loaf of pumpkin bread, and she came from the backroom in her wheelchair to talk with me. Mrs Taylor and I had been neighbors for 17 years. I remember the dog she and her husband used to have. They called him Beau. He greeted everyone who walked by, and Mr Taylor loved him.
Most of my conversations with Mrs Taylor had been incidental — visits by the mailbox, running into one another at the gas station where she helped me put air in my tire, quiet talks at the funeral home where we went to honor the memory of a mutual (相互的) friend.
When my husband and I moved here with our four noisy, laughing kids, it must have seemed as if the peaceful quiet of the neighborhood had been forever broken. But we showed our enthusiasm to the neighbors sincerely although we had little in common with the mostly elderly folks on our street. Over the years they helped us love our children, picking them up when a bicycle overturned and sending the kids cards for their graduation. We have enjoyed the comfort of living beside people who help us if our tree falls on the fence and feed the cat when we’re away.
Mrs Taylor did not survive her latest set-back. Once again I walked into the funeral home to say good-bye to a neighbor. I remembered the barking dog, the chats by the mailbox, the friendly wave across the fence. I remembered, and I was sad, but I had no regrets. Now there is a new family moving into the Taylor place. I see children’s toys in the yard. It’s time to take a walk.
1. What can we know according to the first paragraph?A.Mrs Taylor has a big and happy family. |
B.The author likes Mrs Taylor’s dog very much. |
C.The author would like to know Mrs Taylor is in the hospital. |
D.Mrs Taylor had been in poor health before Theresa told the author. |
A.Helpful. | B.Unprepared. | C.Unpleasant. | D.Delightful. |
A.She let her children be less noisy and naughty. |
B.She tried to know more elderly folks in her street. |
C.She treated everyone in the neighborhood warmly. |
D.She enjoyed the comfort of living beside neighbors. |
A.The True Neighbor | B.Gratitude to my neighbor |
C.Mrs Taylor — A Respectable Woman | D.Expectation for New Neighbor |