A Chocolate Cake
Sam is autistic (患孤独症的). Thus, dining out can be tricky. Though he loves to eat, he dislikes the loud noise over restaurant dining. Ever resourceful, he has a solution overpower all noise with a much louder noise of his own.
This begins with what I like to think of as dueling (斗) tables: neighboring parties raised their volume followed by Sam increasing his until some sort of extreme point is reached, making us quite unpopular with family, most friends and other diners.
Faced with a possibility of forever dining alone, I decided to work on dining skills at a trendy new spot early one Tuesday night.
To my delight, we arrived at an empty restaurant, So far, so good. Everything went well until two older women entered, Well-groomed (干净整洁的) and elegantly dressed in an understated way, they were seated two tables away from us. I felt a bit worried about what might happen.
The women began to chat, paying little notice to us. Sam happily took this as his cue (暗示) to start talking and drown them out. I leaned into Sam and asked for a quiet voice, but unfortunately, Sam had left that voice at home, I glanced at the neighboring table, knowing we wouldn’t go unnoticed much longer. I quickly resorted to Plan B: eat quickly and leave. Sam, who normally ate his favorite chocolate cake quickly, suddenly embraced the concept of leisurely dining and refused to rush—all while chattering away endlessly.
“SHUSH! (嘘)” I said, a little angry. Sam responded by giggling loudly. “Be quiet!”
I could sense that the two women were now watching us. Finally, the older of the two women leaned over. Here it comes, I thought.
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。
“Honey, stop shushing that boy,” she said, completely surprising me.
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Sam smiled because someone wanted him to do what he did best; make noise and eat chocolate cake.
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My little sister, Meg, said that she wasn’t afraid of the dark anymore and she’d be OK staying with Aunt Lily in the country. “As long as you’re there, Mike,” she had said. Still, Mum was worried. Meg had never slept away from home, away from the city. So I told Mum I could handle everything.
Even though we were only staying overnight, Meg had brought six books-all about fairies (仙女). After we unpacked, Aunt Lily invited us to pick some flowers. As we followed her through the forest, Meg held my hand tightly. But once we reached the sunlit grassland, she let go. “Butterflies!” whispered Meg. She screamed with delight when one flew near her.
Maybe I had nothing to worry about, I thought. I still remembered when I was here last summer, I found some amazing insects, like fireflies (萤火虫) and walking sticks which I’d never seen in the city.
“Fairies are magical. See these beautiful flowers they grow!” she kept telling absolutely everything she knew about fairies. I was glad that if she kept it up until bedtime, then maybe she’d fall right to sleep.
Meg did keep chatting, right through supper. Then the sun began to set. “Does it get really dark out here at night?” she asked. Her eyes were fixed on the window.
“Sure, but we’ve got plenty of lights inside,” said Aunt Lily. She leaned over and gave Meg a warm smile. But I could tell she was still worried. “I could read to you.”
I hadn’t even finished a page when her bottom lip started shaking slightly. “Mike,” she said, her eyes starting to fill. “I want to go home.” I quickly searched through her book for something to keep her from crying.
The book fell open to a page that was dog-eared from use, a page that was obviously one of Meg’s favorites. The text read: “Among the trees deep in the forest, the lights of fairies gleam (闪烁).” Aha! How could I forget those “tiny fairies” out there?
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。
“Meg, there’s something outside I want to show you,” I whispered.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Tiny fairies, Mike!” she said, pressing her forehead against the window, “Everywhere!”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . Christy was helping Mum sort through boxes they’d found in their new home. “Look, ” she held up an old photo, “It says Mabel beside Dream Lake, summer 1910. ” It looked so
Now Christy had a puzzle to
Mum hurried outside to look. “Yeah, the trees have
“I don’t
That night,
| A．colourful | B．historical | C．permanent | D．real |
| A．share | B．hang | C．copy | D．keep |
| A．lady | B．time | C．lake | D．photo |
| A．care for | B．worry about | C．work out | D．take up |
| A．gallery | B．park | C．theatre | D．library |
| A．maps | B．posters | C．films | D．journals |
| A．positive | B．familiar | C．horrible | D．strange |
| A．hid | B．threw | C．tore | D．grabbed |
| A．composition | B．background | C．reflection | D．shade |
| A．backyard | B．house | C．neighbourhood | D．town |
| A．merely | B．slowly | C．hardly | D．truly |
| A．searches | B．aids | C．scenes | D．guesses |
| A．make | B．like | C．get | D．believe |
| A．snow | B．rain | C．wind | D．fog |
| A．solved | B．found | C．completed | D．proved |
4 . 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. |
5 . 阅读下面材料， 根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
I was a proud mother of three children, my last little one being delivered in the middle of this pandemic. She was born in August and her name is Aida.
Shortly after having Aida, my mother-in-law showed me something she learned from her friend’s mother in an art class she attended weekly. She had shown me how to knit a scarf (织围巾). She showed me stitches and gave me her half done project. I spent a lot of time breastfeeding my sweet little girl, so I had some extra time to do something with my hands throughout the day. I enjoyed making the scarf so I purchased tons of yarn since it was winter. I wanted to make scarves for my three children as Christmas gifts.
There was a new family that moved in down the street. The only daughter of the family was Jane, a shy girl, aged 14, the same age of my oldest son David. It seemed that she came from a financially disadvantaged family, for she always wore old clothes. Worse still, in such cold days, she had no more clothes to wear and trembled with cold.
Due to the pandemic, society was thrown into crisis mode. Schools were closed, food supplies and deliveries were suspended and children were stuck at home. In such discouraging times, however, they became good companions, talking and playing at home or around the houses.
It was dreadfully cold this winter. Every time David came back from outside, with red face, he always cried, “Mum, it’s freezing outside!” then he came over to see whether I finished the scarf. I could tell how impatient he was to wear my scarf sooner! I had to speed the project to satisfy his expectation. But David comforted me saying he could wait a few days. What a kind and considerate boy he was! Then my great project finally was accomplished on the morning ahead of Christmas.
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。
I wrapped the scarf around David’s neck.
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Later that day David came back saying Jane also needed a scarf.
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6 . Mary O’Connor and her husband Bobby Hughes had been in Letterkenny for a couple of days, when they decided they would spend the afternoon at Rathmullan beach.
Bobby is a diabetic (糖尿病患 者) and needs to take insulin (胰 岛素) regularly. On that morning, he had checked his blood sugar levels, which were fine. He ate breakfast without any difficulty. However, an unlucky incident happened. Mary said, “Ten minutes after we were there he just completely went down. It was just scary and it was so sudden. I think the really severe heat was a key factor, but it reflected how quickly things could change. ”
A few moments later, two women from Derry noticed that and rapidly came over. One called Sara who also was a similar patient recognized straight away what was going on. She said, “I had a bottle of glucose gel (葡萄糖凝胶) that I kept for emergencies and I was rubbing it onto Bobby’s gums,” Mary said, “Some young lifeguards were able to call an ambulance and another lady called Emma, who was a nurse, stopped by to help us as well. Eventually we got him into the ambulance and I started to shake from the shock of it all. A nice man, Liam McAteer, whose mum owns the pub in Rathmullan, offered to drive me to the hospital and even took me back again to get my car.” Mary said that the staff at the Letterkenny hospital were so brilliant in treating Bobby that he was able to be discharged later that day at 6: 30 pm.
She said that while there was much more drama in their holiday than she thought there would be, she was very touched by the kind strangers. Mary continued, “It is wonderful to know there are good people and we are both so grateful for all help that they gave us.”
1. What did Mary and Bobby go to Letterkenny for?| A．To visit Rathmullan beach. | B．To go on holiday. |
| C．To go to hospital. | D．To go on business. |
| A．Checked his blood sugar levels. | B．Not taking medicine irregularly. |
| C．The severe heat of that day. | D．Being on the beach too long. |
| A．Emma recognized straight away what was going on. |
| B．Sara was a diabetic (糖尿病患者). |
| C．Liam McAteer was an owner of a pub in Rathmullan. |
| D．The staff at the Letterkenny hospital were brilliant in treating Bobby. |
| A．An Awkward Holiday | B．A Medical Incident |
| C．The Powerful Aid | D．The Unusual Couple |
7 . As a businesswoman, I care deeply about my customers. But like anyone for whom you feel affection,
I remember the first really
That taught me a valuable
| A．shopkeepers | B．customers | C．salespersons | D．receptionists |
| A．saying | B．pretending | C．guessing | D．replying |
| A．agree | B．promise | C．imagine | D．swear |
| A．forget | B．decide | C．discover | D．assume |
| A．fighting | B．smiling | C．waiting | D．changing |
| A．generous | B．polite | C．careless | D．difficult |
| A．curious about | B．displeased with | C．patient with | D．uncertain about |
| A．searched | B．argued | C．prayed | D．apologized |
| A．lesson | B．trick | C．skill | D．trade |
| A．work | B．shop | C．meet | D．quarrel |
| A．kindly | B．secretly | C．personally | D．casually |
| A．ready | B．away | C．up | D．well |
| A．out of sight | B．in the way | C．behind the scene | D．above the law |
| A．stress | B．expect | C．handle | D．blame |
| A．ruins | B．makes | C．starts | D．saves |
One morning, Ann’s neighbor Tracy found a lost dog wandering around the local elementary school. She asked Ann if she could keep an eye on the dog and she planned to find its owner. Ann agreed, but she said that she could watch it only for the day because she needed to take care of her son. At the time, her son Thomas was 10 years old, who was recovering from a heart operation.
Later, Tracy took photos of the dog, printed off 400 FOUND fliers, put them in mailboxes and began to find the dog’s owner. Meanwhile, Ann bought some pet supplies, warning her son not to fall in love with the dog. However, her son was filled with excitement as he knew that his mother got a dog back home. He planned to provide the dog with some food everyday.
Four days later, Ann and her son were still looking after the dog, whom they had started to call Riley. During the four days, they took care of the dog carefully, provided some food, took a shower and played with it, and they had already become the best friends.
The evening of the fifth day, when Ann arrived home from work, the dog threw itself against the door and barked madly at her. As soon as she opened the door, Riley dashed into the boys’ room where Ann found Thomas suffering from a heart attack. Riley ran over to Thomas, but as soon as Ann bent over to help him, the dog went silent.
The doctor said if it hadn’t come to get his mother in time, Thomas would have died. Luckily, with the doctor’s help, Thomas could go home tomorrow morning.
“Mum, can we keep it if we can’t find its owner? Even we can ask for permission if we find the owner,” Thomas asked his mother when they came back home.
“Well, since no one has called to claim it, we decide to keep it,” his mother replied. Hearing that, Thomas was excited.
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。
However, the next day, Ann was told a man named Peter recognized his lost dog.
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Peter’s car came and Thomas stood silently beside his car.
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9 . A 3-year-old girl is back home after a man found her wandering on the city’s southwest side early Sunday morning.
Botello, who works for Villa Pizza and has seven children, said he was in the middle of a
“I ran to the door and gave people their food,” said Botello. “I went back looking for her but failed, so I drove around for a minute. Without finding her, I started pulling into the parking lots.” He finally
“I cannot
| A．delivery | B．training | C．dream | D．meal |
| A．dancing | B．running | C．drawing | D．riding |
| A．hit | B．missed | C．called | D．spotted |
| A．wearing | B．purchasing | C．carrying | D．begging |
| A．money | B．water | C．clothes | D．pizzas |
| A．worn-out | B．heart-broken | C．careless | D．cautious |
| A．comparison | B．trouble | C．contact | D．peace |
| A．admit | B．realize | C．regret | D．cover |
| A．bear | B．complain | C．imagine | D．doubt |
| A．hopeful | B．thankful | C．sorrowful | D．purposeful |
| A．votes | B．smiles | C．light | D．judgment |
| A．advice | B．help | C．praise | D．work |
| A．critical | B．sharp | C．blind | D．green |
| A．picked up | B．turned down | C．laughed at | D．looked after |
| A．proudly | B．secretly | C．eventually | D．hardly |
My first marathon. It’s pouring rain, my legs were cold, and I was wishing I hadn’t been too nervous to eat a bigger breakfast. “There were tables of chocolate bars every mile at my last marathon,” Dad says.
Suddenly everyone around us starts moving. Way up ahead I see smoke from the cannon. I can’t believe we hadn’t heard it. It took ages to reach the starting line. Our marathon started.
Soon Dad started to slow down. After only a mile, I overtook everyone in sight. And Dad was way behind with his left leg cramped(抽筋).
I soon reached mile 5, and I was feeling good. I still hadn’t seen a chocolate bar anywhere. Maybe they didn’t have them! Instead, the streets were lined with fast-food places. But there were lines of runners at every shop.
By mile 10, my legs felt good but I was starving. How I wish I hadn’t just had one piece of toast for breakfast! It’s raining so hard that it hurt. My hands stung from the cold. I took a power gel out of pocket and tried to open it, but my hands were so cold they felt as if they were frozen into fists. On the balconies people yelled and waved to me. That cheered me up a bit.
Then I ran past mile 13, the halfway checkpoint. Up ahead I could see my mum and my little brother cheering for me. Hearing my name from their cheers, I felt refreshed and kept on running.
Mile 15. I saw food at last! There were tables full of bananas. I grabbed a banana and scoffed it down. Then I ripped the power gel open. My hands had come unfroze. I squeezed the packet and filled my mouth with the gel. Chocolate would taste better.
When I reached mile 20, and I didn’t want to run another inch. Every step jarred my leg.
I started walking the next mile before Dad caught up running in an awkward way.
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Mile 25, we could hear the crowd at the finish line.
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