I sat in the breakfast corner with my four-year-old son, Matthew, trying to ignore the ache in my stomach. I was still recovering from a surgery. I hoped for strength and happiness. But the future seemed so hopeless.
Matthew jumped up from his spot on the kitchen floor. “Bird!” he shouted, rushing to the sliding door. Sure enough, there was a white dove seated on a rubber tree. It sat there a few moments, and then flew away. I’d never seen one in our neighborhood before.
When I dragged myself to the kitchen the next morning, the dove was back. This time it was with a mate carrying twigs (嫩枝), “Look, Matthew,” I said, pointing to the tree. “They’re going to make a nest.” The doves flew in and out of the courtyard all week, building on the top of the rubber tree. Matthew could hardly contain his excitement. Every morning, he’d run into the kitchen and take his spot by the sliding glass door, talking to the birds while they worked. As much as I was grieving (感到悲伤), I couldn’t help but look forward to the doves’ visits too. We watched their progress as if it were a real-life soap opera unfolding before us. Gradually, my pain disappeared, replaced by joy.
Then it all went wrong. The courtyard was a safe enough spot for a nest, but the rubber tree’s broad, thin leaves were far from stable. One night, a strong wind blew through, throwing the doves’ nest to the ground. I heard the twigs break apart. Nothing good ever lasts. I wouldn’t blame the doves if they never came back. But they returned. And they paid no attention to the pi le of sticks that had once been their nest. They started again from scratch, though the wind destroyed all their hard work. The next day, and the next, they renewed their efforts, as if nothing had happened.
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右：
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1: I knew I had to do something for the poor creatures.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:“The birds were back!” Matthew announced.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It was Tamika’s turn to tell her class where she went this summer. She stood up proudly. “This summer I went to Bradley,” Tamika announced. “They have a big market there. My mom bought a painting and I got second-hand inline skates. We had a great time there. ”
“That’s not a trip,” Jeremy whispered loudly to his partner. “It’s only half an hour from here. My dad and I often go to Bradley to buy tools for his repair shop.”
“Jeremy, no interrupting,” said Miss Snowdent, their teacher. “And Bradley has a fine market. I’m glad that Tamika can tell us about it. Go ahead, Tamika.” Miss Snowden smiled warmly at her, encouraging her to continue.
But Tamika didn’t feel proud of her family’s trip to Bradley any more and she just felt embarrassed. Tamika dropped her head and said in a low voice that she was finished, and then hurried back to her desk. She hoped that the other kids didn’t notice her face turning red.
Tamika listened as Peter talked about his cruise to Jamaical. She heard about Mary’s trip across the Atlantic to Ireland. She heard about John’s horseback ride through the Grand Canyon. It seemed as if everyone but her had taken a big trip over the summer. “I never get to go anywhere. ” Tamika thought to herself. A sense of sadness clouded her the whole day.
After school things got worse. One of the wheels on Tamika’s skates came loose. Now she couldn’t even skate. Sitting on the sidewalk, Tamika tried to fix her wheel but did not know how. Then Miss Snowden happened to pass by. She walked up with a smile on her face, asking. “You look unhappy, Tamika. Why are you sitting here?” Tamika lowered her head, tears building up inside her eyes. “Want to talk about it?” Miss Snowden asked kindly. Tamika nodded, trying to avoid Miss Snowden’s eyes! Bending down, Miss Snowden said in a whisper: “You know, Tamika, actually we don’t always have to travel far to learn anything.” Tamika looked up with watering eyes and wondered what Miss Snowden meant.
注意：1.续写词数应为 150左右；2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Right at this moment, Jeremy was walking by and saw them.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Yes. I can fix it,” Jeremy said with confidence.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . Ben Kjar was born with Crouzon Syndrome. It is a disease that makes his
However, with the firm support from his
As a wrestler in college, Kjar went on to become a professional speaker and
He’s been busy, selling nearly two hundred
“You can’t change the world in every way. But you can
Now with a family of his own, Kjar has turned his challenges into a
| A．ability | B．appearance | C．personality | D．behavior |
| A．recalled | B．reminded | C．reserved | D．repeated |
| A．teachers | B．parents | C．brothers | D．friends |
| A．defeat | B．defend | C．define | D．design |
| A．wrap | B．hide | C．trap | D．place |
| A．knocked into | B．slipped into | C．checked into | D．poured into |
| A．indeed | B．therefore | C．later | D．instead |
| A．properties | B．families | C．businesses | D．projects |
| A．available | B．accessible | C．abnormal | D．additional |
| A．adjusted | B．donated | C．adopted | D．detected |
| A．education | B．company | C．surgery | D．recovery |
| A．continued | B．promised | C．hesitated | D．managed |
| A．chance | B．choice | C．mission | D．profession |
| A．unique | B．easy | C．fluent | D．pure |
| A．difference | B．change | C．advantage | D．profit |
“I don’t get it, Pete,” Janet said to her cousin. “Why do you fish at Murphy’s pond if old Mrs. Murphy is a witch (女巫)?”
“The fishing’s great… And the old Murphy house is over a hill behind the pond,” Pete replied. “We’ll be okay… As long as we stay away from the house,” he continued in a low voice. “They say kids who go into that house are never seen again!”
After they got to the pond, witches were forgotten. Pete sat on the old dock and threw out his line. Suddenly Janet saw something shining in the water and stepped forward for a closer look. The rotting (腐朽的) wood of the dock broke under her. “H-e-l-l-p!” She screamed as she dropped down into the dark, cold water.
Pete jumped in to help her. “Quiet down!” He said out of breath as they got to the rocky shore. “You’re not hurt. If you keep complaining, you’ll wake the witch!” Then he screamed. “OUCH-H-H!” and lifted his foot. There was a deep cut on the bottom of his foot from a sharp rock!
“Oh, Pete, you’re hurt!” Janet cried. “I’ll go for…” But before she could say Help, she saw an old woman coming toward them. Without a word, the woman picked up Pete and carried him up the hill. A cold, wet, and confused Janet followed. She was frightened but had a strange feeling that the old woman meant no harm.
At the top of the hill, the woman walked to ward an old house. “Oh, p-p-please, Ma’am,” a frightened Pete begged, “Please don’t go there. That’s where the w-w-witch lives!”
“That is my home, young man,” the woman said softly, “Do not be afraid.” At the front door, she said to Janet, “Please open the door.” Janet did, and the three went inside. Mrs. Murphy gently put Pete on a couch (睡椅), then disappeared into another room.
注意：
(1)续写词数应为150左右；
(2)请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Mrs. Murphy returned with two warm blankets.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mrs. Murphy smiled happily.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 . Step by step, Ana Regalado shared the flavors that have helped define her life on Friday as part of Hispanic Heritage Month (西班牙裔传统月).
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, ‘Oh that’s a secret family recipe’, and I think recipes are meant to be shared, we share them with the world so everyone can enjoy them,” said Regalado.
The mother of seven and grandmother is known on TikTok as ‘Salty Cocina’. Back in 2020, she began making what she calls a look through cookbook. It’s one that helps pass down the dynamic flavors of traditional Mexican cuisine to her children and grandchildren.
“Just think about it, how amazing would it be to have your grandma in the kitchen, watching her cook when she’s no longer here?” said Regalado.
Not only did her children love it, but so did the rest of the world. Within a year of uploading her first video, she got over one million followers. She has more than 2.5 million now. All of them are eager to explore the history, cultural significance, and origins of the ingredients in her beloved dishes. Her engaging and reliable personality has given her a platform she never could have imagined.
“I never thought it would get this big,” said Regalado.
Each video is a proof to her commitment to spreading the richness of the recipes passed down through generations while enjoying all she learns about other cultures from her followers.
“Everybody’s cultures are different, but, in a way, they’re kind of similar. So we can all embrace (接受) each other,” said Regalado. “There are so many different recipes that are the same but have different names in different countries.”
“I always tell my husband a family that cooks together stays together,” said Regalado with a laugh.
1. What does Regalado think of her family recipe?| A．It is a family secret to keep. | B．It should be shared with others. |
| C．It is the best recipe ever in Mexico. | D．It should be enjoyed only by her family. |
| A．To record her cooking life. | B．To pass down the cook skills. |
| C．To spread the Mexican food culture. | D．To cheer her children and grandchildren. |
| A．It is something natural. | B．It comes from hard work. |
| C．She never takes it seriously. | D．She is kind of surprised at it. |
| A．Everyone should do housework at home. |
| B．Cooking together plays an important role in family. |
| C．It is important for a husband to learn how to cook. |
| D．Her husband used to have no interest in cooking. |
Benjamin Lou is a computer scientist and advocate who was born with a rare genetic disorder
By now, Benjamin
In addition
7 . I was at a new school in a new state and needed something solid to stand on: a place to feel grounded. I also needed to do laundry, so I walked to a nearby self-service laundry and stuffed a machine with my clothes. As I struggled to close the washer door, the woman working behind the counter told me to give it a good hit with my hand. The washer did its job, yet even after an hour, the dryer seemed to have barely warmed my clothes. I left, having decided to air-dry them on my car in the August heat.
A month later, I learned her name was Sandy, which she told me after I’d helped her stop a washing machine from moving across the floor. I was grading poems at a table when one of the washers broke loose and skipped an inch into the air. I jumped to the machine and held on while she unplugged it. The next week, Sandy told me dryer No. 8 was the fastest.
It went on like this. I’d do laundry once a week, usually Thursday or Friday. Sandy worked Tuesday through Saturday and we’d talk small while I folded clothes. She told me about her son and his grades, as well as the new dog they’d just adopted. She was fascinated that I was studying poetry. She teased (开玩笑) that it was harder making a living as a poet than as a laundry attendant. Even then I knew she was probably right.
I began to recognize others there: workers taking breaks by the door, a mother and her baby, and even some delivery drivers. But Sandy was the center of my community. For nearly three years and almost every week, I’d do laundry and talk with her. We checked on each other, expecting the other to be there. We asked where the other had gone when we missed a week. There was a note of concern for the other’s absence, a note of joy at their return.
I’d found a place to stand on solid ground.
1. Why did the author leave with his wet clothes?| A．He liked the August heat better. | B．He had to go back to the meeting. |
| C．He wanted to show off his new car. | D．He didn’t think the dryer worked well. |
| A．She was warm-hearted. | B．She needed a volunteer. |
| C．She wanted to thank him. | D．She was sorry for the mess. |
| A．It was harder to fulfill. | B．It was really fascinating. |
| C．It was badly-paid work. | D．It needed a lot of effort. |
| A．He formed a close friendship with Sandy. |
| B．He made a lot of friends in college. |
| C．He expected Sandy to do laundry for him. |
| D．He often wrote to Sandy after graduation. |
8 . During one particularly bad storm in 1838, a ship got into trouble as it passed the Farne Islands.
Despite one of the boilers in the ship having sprung a leak earlier in the journey, the
At around 4: 30 a. m. , 22-year-old Grace Darling living in that lighthouse
Realizing there was still life on board, and
On arrival at the rock, they found nine survivors— more than they
William and Grace took the first boatload of survivors to the
Discover Britain February 2023.
1.| A．waiter | B．sailor | C．captain | D．cook |
| A．calm | B．urgent | C．bad | D．necessary |
| A．functioned | B．burnt | C．heated | D．failed |
| A．prevented | B．spotted | C．recorded | D．reported |
| A．immediately | B．secretly | C．cautiously | D．suddenly |
| A．values | B．origins | C．signs | D．meanings |
| A．imagining | B．agreeing | C．suggesting | D．sensing |
| A．arrange | B．warn | C．help | D．explore |
| A．fit | B．return | C．recover | D．escape |
| A．remembered | B．managed | C．counted | D．expected |
| A．injured | B．dead | C．missing | D．drowned |
| A．coast | B．lighthouse | C．shelter | D．hospital |
| A．worry about | B．turn to | C．provide for | D．look after |
| A．collect | B．pull | C．support | D．connect |
| A．educated | B．seized | C．rescued | D．Transported |
Be What’s Missing
Where was that cashier? Angry, I glanced at my watch. I barely had enough time to eat my hamburgers and then dash back to the hospital where I worked.
I looked around the nearly empty fast-food restaurant but the cashier was nowhere in sight. A woman whom I guessed to be about my age stood wiping the far end of the counter with a towel. When she thought I wasn’t looking, she looked at me with sad, dark eyes.
I waited, drumming my fingers on the counter. The woman pushed the gray hair from her lined forehead and continued wiping the counter.
I glanced again at my watch. I planned to write a letter about the lack of service in this place. But just as I mentally made up my letter, I had a memory of Rosie, a former coworker of mine. I could hear her sweet voice recommend me, “Be what’s missing.”
“What do you mean, ‘Be what’s missing’?” I had asked the first time I heard her use that phrase. “Whenever you find yourself in an unpleasant situation,” she explained, “just think about what is missing.” Rosie smiled at my blank stare. “It’s really simple when you think about it. If someone is mean, then kindness is missing. If someone is inconsiderate, then thoughtfulness is missing. If someone is hateful, then love is missing. If we will be what’s missing, then we’ll provide whatever the situation needs.”
And here I was in an unpleasant situation. How was I supposed to “be what’s missing”? What was missing was service. But then the woman who had wiped the counter walked slowly toward the cash register. With deliberately paced words, she asked, “May I help you?”
I was not satisfied with her service, and I was so angry that I almost lost my temper. But again I heard Rosie’s voice, “Be what’s missing.”
I took a deep breath. It was clear that I was in a hurry to be waited on — by someone who was, no doubt, overworked, underappreciated, and underpaid. With Rosie’s words ringing in my head, I gave the woman my order… and smiled. “How are you today?”
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My greeting seemed to surprise her.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After dinner, I placed everything in my tray and wiped the table more thoroughly than usual.
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10 . Jacqueline’s dream of being a world-class runner began when she was a child in Kenya. She soon realized she had to
Jacqueline traveled to China to
Jacqueline missed out on first place, but she
| A．perform | B．race | C．conduct | D．train |
| A．worried | B．confident | C．proud | D．energetic |
| A．compete | B．struggle | C．serve | D．adjust |
| A．taking | B．losing | C．winning | D．completing |
| A．division | B．movement | C．research | D．education |
| A．jumped into | B．left for | C．escaped from | D．arrived at |
| A．finding | B．drinking | C．carrying | D．pouring |
| A．planned | B．hated | C．struggled | D．allowed |
| A．imbalance | B．unemployment | C．disability | D．disqualification |
| A．eventually | B．gradually | C．immediately | D．occasionally |
| A．spotted | B．grabbed | C．emptied | D．packed |
| A．complete | B．win | C．enjoy | D．start |
| A．pace | B．position | C．command | D．best |
| A．connected | B．helped | C．finished | D．met |
| A．event | B．prize | C．dream | D．failure |
