1 . My aunt Cindy has her own cake shop. She can make nice cakes for special occasions, such as weddings and birthdays. I spent a week last summer helping her in the shop. Making a nice cake is harder than I thought it would be.
I practised for hours in Aunt Cindy’s shop. I made little colored dots (圆点) on a piece of wax paper (蜡纸). Unluckily, I could not get the dots to be the same shape or size. I decided to take a break from making the dots, so I helped move cakes. However, that was not easy for me, either. I dropped a cake when trying to take it out of the freezer (冰箱) by myself. Luckily one of Aunt Cindy’s assistants (助手) was there. He saved the cake from hitting the floor.
It takes a whole team to make a huge cake. That’s one of the most important things I learned. Each person on the team has to be great at his or her job. Aunt Cindy designs the cakes on paper, Larry does the mixing and baking, and assistants carve and put frosting on the cakes. Aunt Cindy and Larry do most of the decorating while the assistants help make small parts like flowers and figures. Building a big cake is like playing a team sport. If one person doesn’t do his or her job well, the whole team pays for that.
Even though I was not much help to my aunt, I’m glad I spent the week in Aunt Cindy’s shop. Designing cakes takes more than just baking skills. It takes art and painting skills too. Now when I see a really nice cake, I don’t think of eating it first. Instead, I look at it and wonder how many hours it took to make.
1. What does the underlined word “occasions” mean in this passage?| A．events | B．needs | C．months | D．ideas |
| A．Because she practised for hours and became bored. |
| B．Because she could not make the dots good enough for a cake. |
| C．Because Aunt Cindy did not want her to make any more dots. |
| D．Because Aunt Cindy wanted her to help somewhere else. |
| A．Aunt Cindy. | B．Larry. | C．Assistants. | D．The writer. |
| A．She got to practise making coloured dots. | B．She learned the importance of teamwork. |
| C．She got to take a cake out of the freezer. | D．She learned art and painting skills. |
Thomas, a skinny young boy, loved football with all his heart. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere. At all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench (板凳) and hardly ever played.
This teenager lived alone with his father, and the relationship between the two of them was very special. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game.
This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him. All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game but remained a benchwarmer. Besides, his faithful father was always in the stands, always with word of encouragement for him. The young man loved football and was determined to hang in there, and perhaps he’d get to play when he became a senior.
It was at the end of his senior football season and as he ran to the practice field shortly before the big playoff (夺标决赛) that the coach met him with a telegram(电报). The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent: Biting his lip, he breathed, “My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?” The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, “Take the rest of the week off, son. And don’t even plan to come back to the game on Saturday.”
Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the second half when the team was two scores behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football wear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were surprised to see their faithful teammate back so soon.
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“Coach, please let me play. I’ve just got to play today,” said the young man.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________This little unknown, who had never played before, was doing everything right.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . In August 2022, Don Powell from Orchard Lake Village, Michigan, found a wooden doll (玩具娃娃) couple, Mary and Shelley, inside his custom-designed mailbox. Initially assuming it was a mistake, he left them there out of curiosity. Over time, the dolls’ living space expanded with the addition of furniture like a bed, a painting and a stove. Don responded humorously, requesting a refrigerator. A year later, the dolls still reside there, amusing neighbors who follow updates on the local Nextdoor page.
The Powells had paid a local craftsman (工匠) $250 to create a mailbox that looked like their house, which included windows and solar-powered ceiling lights. This mailbox provided a large and bright space for the growing collection of doll furnishings.
Despite potential fines for non-postage items in mailboxes, Don didn’t consider removing the dolls, as the mail carrier found it amusing and it didn’t stop mail delivery. The Powells regularly discovered new items for the dolls, especially during holidays. For example, Halloween saw the dolls temporarily disappearing and replaced by skeletons (骨骼), and Christmas brought festive decorations.
The doll family grew, with the addition of a cousin, Shirley, and a service dog named Maggie. A note mentioned their gratitude for a one-story house compared to their previous multi-story dollhouse.
Don even contributed to the setup by adding a small letterbox to avoid confusion with their mail. He enjoys the mystery-and community enjoyment, resisting the idea of an outdoor camera to uncover the responsible party. The story continues to attract neighbors, who often stop by with questions and enjoy the lighthearted community spirit it brings.
1. What can we learn about the doll family from the first two paragraphs?| A．Don and Nancy Powell were expecting to find the dolls in their mailbox. |
| B．The local community was unaware of the dolls living in Don’s mailbox. |
| C．The doll family shared the big and bright house with the Powell couple. |
| D．Someone may have left the doll family and additional items on purpose. |
| A．To emphasize the legality of the dolls’ placement. |
| B．To illustrate the mail carrier’s disapproval of the dolls. |
| C．To show the mail carrier’s amusement and acceptance. |
| D．To discuss changes in delivery due to the dolls’ presence. |
| A．Community-minded and humorous. | B．Conventional and disciplined. |
| C．Disinterested and approachable | D．Indifferent and responsible. |
| A．How to Construct a Creative Custom Mailbox |
| B．The Legal Issues with Dolls in Custom Mailbox |
| C．The Disappearance and Return of Dolls in Michigan |
| D．A Unique Mailbox Brings Joy to a Michigan community |
Peter woke up early in the morning. He went downstairs in a hurry and started to have his breakfast as quickly as possible.
“Why are you in such a hurry, early bird?” Mum asked him. “We will have an English spelling test today, Mum,” Peter said. “Mr. White promised to offer prizes to those who get 100 scores. I’ve been studying the word list since last week. Although the words are difficult, I am well prepared for them.”
Peter reviewed the spelling of each word once more carefully when Dad drove him to school. At last, it was time for the students to have a test. “Responsibility,” Mr. White started. Peter wrote it on his test paper quickly and confidently.
“The second word: contribution,” Mr. White said.
“So easy,” Peter thought. He quickly wrote the word down.
Thirty words later, the test papers were collected by Mr. White. “I am to mark your papers now,” he told the class. After marking the test papers, Mr. White said, “Three of you won a prize today for excellent test scores. Peter, David and Mary got full marks on the spelling test!”
Mr. White praised them. Meanwhile, he gave the three students each a dictionary. Peter’s was an English-Chinese dictionary—the one he liked best. Peter was so excited that he held it high when his classmates cheered. “This is my happiest moment,” Peter thought.
After Mr. White gave the test paper back, Peter had a look at the words, feeling proud of his spelling. All of a sudden, the word “contribusion” confused him. It didn’t seem right. Peter began to compare them after taking out the word list. “C-O-N-T-R-I-B-U-S-I-O-N,” he whispered. He spelled it wrong.
“What am I to do?” Peter said to himself. “I expect my classmates to think I’m a master at spelling. If I tell Mr. White one of my spelling words is wrong, I’ll have to give my prize back, or I will become an example for telling a lie.”
Staring at the full marks written on his test paper, Peter was lost in thought. After a while, he remembered a lesson Mum used to teach him, “We ought to be an honest person.”
Paragraph1:Slowly,Peter raised his hand.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph2:
Peter looked around.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . Robin was 12 years old when his mother sent him to me for his first piano lesson. I preferred that students begin at an earlier
Several months later when I was preparing my students for a music show, Robin came to my home and said he had to
However, on the show his fingers danced
“How could you do it?” I could not help asking him a few days later.
“Well, I kept practising at home. My mom had cancer and just passed away the day I went to your
| A．level | B．convenience | C．age | D．moment |
| A．task | B．plan | C．dream | D．hobby |
| A．Unless | B．Because | C．Until | D．Although |
| A．acted | B．continued | C．commanded | D．proved |
| A．encouraged | B．disappointed | C．touched | D．guided |
| A．told | B．showed | C．convinced | D．promised |
| A．look forward to | B．sign up for | C．focus on | D．learn from |
| A．warn | B．persuade | C．allow | D．force |
| A．determination | B．happiness | C．reflections | D．anger |
| A．excited | B．satisfied | C．relieved | D．surprised |
| A．gracefully | B．awkwardly | C．slowly | D．quickly |
| A．shook | B．clapped | C．danced | D．laughed |
| A．followed | B．drove | C．woke | D．ran |
| A．house | B．office | C．class | D．stage |
| A．special | B．important | C．similar | D．popular |
