A Blessing From A Homeless Person
On the way back from work every evening, more often than not, there would be a homeless man standing at the exit of the freeway. He seemed to be in his late 40s, but was probably a little younger. Although wearing ill-fitting clothes and a mismatched pair of shoes, he seemed neither scruffy nor gloomy. With a huge grin highlighting his face, he always waved at every car and sometimes almost danced, which made the thick moustache appear “stylish” and even adorable.
Every day after work I would remember to gather any spare change, and put it aside to give him if I saw him. A feeling of joy would come over me every time I caught sight of him while coming down the ramp. He did have that effect. I’d quickly roll down my window and give him the coins. Occasionally the red light would be on for a minute and we would ask each other about our day. His answer would always be the same— “I’m blessed!” I knew what his answer was going to be every time, yet I would still ask just as if his words could work their magic on me. It amazed me that even in his situation of being homeless he was so positive, and his answer would always remind me how blessed I was: a single mother of four amazing kids, with a place to call home and a job to provide for my family.
One day I was called into my boss’s office and informed that I was being laid off due to the depressing economy. This came as a nasty shock for a single mother whose big family survived on this salary. A feeling of helplessness and grief engulfed me, then followed by endless worry. For the rest of that day, all I could think of was “How am I going to provide for my kids? How am I going to pay rent? And what am I going to do?”
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。
Needless to say, I was very sad and upset on my way home that day.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________You see that day he gave me more than a dollar bill; he taught me a valuable lesson.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a yard with a lot of
Last summer, I found a tiny little plant in the yard that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either.
We decided to let it
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the
That’s when I
We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the
A.flower | B.insects | C.vegetables | D.rocks |
A.water | B.fertilizer | C.color | D.shape |
A.stop | B.continue | C.improve | D.escape |
A.weak | B.strange | C.lonely | D.pretty |
A.collect | B.tend | C.remove | D.watch |
A.unusual | B.wonderful | C.terrible | D.valuable |
A.passed | B.started | C.left | D.died |
A.air | B.top | C.sun | D.house |
A.hoped | B.realized | C.doubted | D.regretted |
A.fill in | B.put in | C.worry about | D.believe in |
A.forget | B.hate | C.aim | D.wait |
A.wish | B.plan | C.ability | D.idea |
A.faith | B.energy | C.virtue | D.courage |
A.aware | B.afraid | C.proud | D.tired |
A.forgive | B.support | C.upset | D.affect |
3 . Dolly Parton was one of the six honorees to receive the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy on Thursday night at Gotham Hall in New York. She was celebrated for her extraordinary contributions that make the world a better place.
It is thought that Dolly Parton has been quietly paying for the band uniforms of many Tennessee high schools for years. She used the songwriting payment she earned from Whitney Houston’s version of I Will Always Love You to purchase a shopping center in Nashville to support the surrounding black community in Houston’s honor.
Her “Imagination Library” provides children under age 5 with a free book every month. The library aims to inspire a love for reading through funding shared by Dolly Parton and local community partners in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the Republic of Ireland. Currently, Parton sends out about 2 million free books each month. Parton has also donated many books to disaster relief. In 2021, she even raised $700,000 to help residents impacted by the terrible flooding in Middle Tennessee.
In her Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy speech, Parton said she didn’t really have a strategy for her donations. “I just give from my heart. I never know what I’m going to do or why I’m going to do it. I often see a need, and if I can meet it, then I will,” she said.
This year, Parton also carried out the Care More Program at her Dollywood Parks and Resorts, which gives employees a day off to volunteer at a nonprofit of their choice. Parton said, “I hope the program will let people realize that when they help somebody, they help themselves more.” “That’s what we should do as human beings,” she said. “I’ve never quite understood why we have to let religion and politics and other things stand in the way of just being good human beings. I think it’s important just to feel like you’re doing your part and doing something good and right.”
1. Why did Parton buy a shopping center?A.To give aid to others. | B.To honor black leaders. |
C.To pay for songwriting. | D.To support her music career. |
A.To sell children’s books. |
B.To collect money for disaster relief. |
C.To motivate children’s interest in books. |
D.To promote international financial cooperation. |
A.She was forced to do charity. |
B.She made donations occasionally. |
C.She always helped those in need. |
D.She used to make well-planned donations. |
A.Giving is receiving. |
B.Employees come first. |
C.It is important to tell right from wrong. |
D.Religion stands in the way of volunteering. |
4 . Many years ago, my dad was diagnosed with a terminal illness.He was unable to work at
He wanted to do something to keep himself
One of his kids was a girl who had been admitted with a
Eventually, she began to paint using her mouth, and she and my dad became friends. Soon after, the little girl was discharged (允许出院). My dad also
Sometimes love is more
A.an important | B.a steady | C.an easy | D.a good |
A.ill | B.behind | C.asleep | D.down |
A.well | B.wealthy | C.busy | D.healthy |
A.teach | B.miss | C.lose | D.treat |
A.special | B.curious | C.strange | D.rare |
A.result | B.reason | C.name | D.course |
A.observing | B.drawing | C.painting | D.visiting |
A.with | B.across | C.against | D.over |
A.with whoever | B.whenever | C.as if | D.as soon as |
A.everything | B.something | C.anything | D.nothing |
A.left | B.entered | C.rushed to | D.stayed at |
A.stopped | B.Returned | C.hesitated | D.refused |
A.pushed | B.noticed | C.observed | D.kicked |
A.hands | B.pens | C.paper | D.mind |
A.thankful | B.useful | C.thoughtful | D.powerful |
I had a problem. Talent Night was coming up, but I had no talents.
Kate can make anything using origami (折纸). Tommy creates breath-taking beats on overturned plastic buckets. Olivia trains her petty dog to do tricks. And those are just my friends. My grade also boasts four dancers, a gymnast, two bakers, a yoga expert, six singers, and five artists, among others.
Every day my teacher asked if I’d decided what to do. And every day I reminded her that I had no talents.
“Nonsense, Benjamin,” she said. “You’ll think of something.”
“I’ll just have to be sick the day of the show,” I announced to my friends one afternoon. “If you get a cold, be sure to cough on me.”
“You must have a talent,” said Kate. “Let’s make a list. What are you good at?”
“Eating,” I answered. “Watching TV.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Benjamin, be serious.”
“Tormenting (捉弄) my little brother.”
“Are you kidding me?” Kate looked at our friends. “Come on, guys. What are Benjamin’s talents?”
“He’s good with dogs,” said Olivia. “My dog adores him.”
“Oh, great,” I said. “I can sit on the stage while he licks my face. Benjamin Belinski, Human Dog Toy.”
“Benjamin’s funny and humorous,” said Tommy. He turned to me. “You could do a comedy routine.”
“Yeah. Every joke could be about how I have no talents,” I said.
“Benjamin,” said Kate, “maybe you don’t know how to juggle (变戏法), but your birthday parties are the best.”
“Yeah,” agreed Olivia, “and you always get us together to do stuff. Like having game nights or riding bikes after school—or when we held that yard sale. The week you had the flu we didn’t do anything fun.”
“You’re like the glue that holds us together,” added Tommy.
“Oh, great,” I said. “Benjamin Belinski, Human Glue Gun.”
But their comments got me thinking. Lying in bed that night, I came up with a plan so exciting that it took me two hours to fall asleep.
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。
In the morning, I couldn’t wait to tell my teacher.
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On the night of the big event, I felt so nervous that I had to force myself to eat dinner.
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6 . In the mid-1950s, I was a somewhat bored early-adolescent male student who believed that doing any more than necessary was wasted effort. One day, this approach threw me into embarrassment.
In Mrs. Totten’s eighth-grade math class at Central Avenue School in Anderson, Indiana, we were learning to add and subtract decimals (小数).
Our teacher typically assigned daily homework, which would be recited in class the following day. On most days, our grades were based on our oral answer to homework questions.
Mrs. Totten usually walked up and down the rows of desks requesting answers from student after student in the order the questions had appeared on our homework sheets. She would start either at the front or the back of the classroom and work toward the other end.
Since I was seated near the middle of about 35 students, it was easy to figure out which questions I might have to answer. This particular time, I had completed my usual two or three problems according to my calculations.
What I failed to expect was that several students were absent, which threw off my estimate. As Mrs. Totten made her way from the beginning of the class, I desperately tried to determine which math problem I would get. I tried to work it out before she got to me, but I had brain freeze and couldn’t function.
When Mrs. Totten reached my desk, she asked what answer I’d got for problem No. 14. “I…I didn’t get anything,” I answered, and my face felt warm.
“Correct,” she said.
It turned out that the correct answer was zero.
What did I learn that day? First, always do all your homework. Second, in real life it isn’t always what you say but how you say it that matters. Third, I would never make it as a mathematician.
If I could choose one school day that taught me the most, it would be that one.
1. Usually, Mrs. Totten asked her students to ________.A.recite their homework together |
B.grade their homework themselves |
C.answer their homework questions orally |
D.check the answers to their homework questions |
A.asked questions in a regular way |
B.walked up and down when asking questions |
C.chose two or three questions for the students |
D.requested her students to finish their usual questions |
A.the class didn’t begin as usual |
B.several students didn’t come to school |
C.he didn’t try hard to make his estimate |
D.Mrs. Totten didn’t start from the back of the class |
A.An Unforgettable Teacher | B.A Future Mathematician |
C.An Effective Approach | D.A Valuable Lesson |
7 . The family of a 6-year-old adopted Chinese girl who badly needs a bone marrow transplant (骨髓移植) believes they have found a match in China.
Kailee Wells suffers from a serious aplastic anemia (再生障碍性贫血), which prevents bone marrow from producing new blood cells. She has taken courses of treatment but has shown little sign of recovery.
The best help for such patients is a transplant of healthy marrow or blood cells from a suitable donor. Certain tissue of the patient and the donor must match.
Kailee’s mother, Linda Wells, made her second trip to China earlier this month to find a donor. Her husband, Owen Wells, said that his wife believed doctors there had found a match.
“For these last 22 months, we’ve been living in fear that Kailee would take a turn for the worse and there would be nothing we could do about it,” he said. “Now we have something we can use and save our little girl. We are just about ready to start jumping up and down and rejoicing.”
Wells said a Chinese girl who is about a year old has a blood sample that matches Kailee’s perfectly. The next step, he said, would be to make sure the sample is safely harvested and protected for transplant, the details of which have yet to be worked out.
Linda Wells first traveled to China in February to try to locate the girl’s birth mother, who is likely to be a match. But she found no relatives and decided to try again this month.
“This gives us so much encouragement because now we found what we thought we would never be able to find for Kailee,” Owen Wells said. “We’re going to continue our blood donor drive to try to continue to help as many people as we possibly can. We’re just so happy.”
1. What do we know about Kailee Wells?A.She was adopted by a Chinese family. |
B.She has a one-year-old sister in China. |
C.She was recovering from aplastic anemia. |
D.She is unable to produce new blood cells. |
A.waving | B.moving |
C.cheering | D.crying |
A.Linda Wells has found the girl’s birth mother. |
B.Owen and Linda tried every means to cure Kailee. |
C.Doctors have worked out plans to protect the sample. |
D.Owen and Linda visited China twice to find a perfect match. |
A.Long and deep friendship between two families. | B.Faith leads to hope. |
C.Match found for a bone marrow transplant. | D.The journey to China. |